


Dark to Light

by agendergrim



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 10:58:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 31,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14018787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agendergrim/pseuds/agendergrim
Summary: Sometime after the Hero of Time leaves the future timeline to return back to his own timeline and own life, Dark Link wakes up to find himself mortal, human, and extremely confused. Taken in by a single mother farmer and her daughter, Dark starts to learn exactly what it means to be an individual while being kept under scrutiny by the undercover Princess Zelda, who still mourns over the destruction done to her kingdom.





	1. Reborn

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this like...a year or two ago. But I was always proud of it, so I decided to post what I had done of it. Thought it'd be a fitting first thing to post on here!

For a moment, I was the room. Every tiny part of the illusion that had long since faded away was what I was. I could still feel the rot in the dead tree, the endless reflection of the water, and the distant fog that surrounded every corner, everywhere you turned. I felt powerful, endless, omnipotent.

And then I was me again.

I gasped and coughed as I was the water, and then I was a form. Water still dripped from my hair and my clothes, the dripping the only noise I could hear, echoing against the walls. I was drenched head to toe and hunched over like a hissing cat. Something pierced through each part of my body, from muscle to bone, and It made me shiver violently. I could see my arms shake and my vision blurred. Every feeling I felt was new; I had never felt before.

I could still see the only room I knew for only a moment, before I fell over and watched it fade away into dark walls and darker floors. The water was still there; it splashed into my face when I had fallen to my side, though only a few inches high. But the tree was gone, and so was the fog, and everything I’d ever known. I rolled then to my back, somewhat missing the endless sky, but in a way, glad it was gone.

I had decided that I would lay there, for a very long time, trying to figure out all the new things I felt, trying to figure out why I was here, but my body decided against that-- I twitched and kicked as I became restless, and with great pain, lifted myself up to face the harsh reality that now I existed as _someone_. _Something_. For a moment, I wondered if these were my own thoughts. Something I’d call my first existential crisis out of many.

I wouldn’t say it passed so much as the thoughts faded into the background as I stood and looked around. The room was no longer vague but very detailed instead. Looking down, I was shocked when I could see myself in the reflection. I watched myself, wondering if I’d pop up at myself and it’d be some odd, sick cycle, of shadow after shadow taking over. But it only moved when I did, only came closer when I did. It was odd, seeing myself. I couldn’t see well into the puddle, but enough; I wasn’t just a creature, but a human. I was monster no longer but a Hylian. Brown skin and clay colored eyes. I touched my own eyelashes and my own cheeks, watching the reflection do the same. It was unreal. I knew it wasn’t me, but it was.

The water was no longer welcome, and I had long since decided the room was boring. Despite the doubts of how far my abilities reached, I still strode toward the door with a purpose, knowing if I left that door, then the world was mine to explore.

I looked back only a moment. The room wasn’t even familiar, and I could feel nothing when I looked around, looking for _something_. The way a teen would look at their childhood toys and wish for that same youthful joy. But nothing was ever there for me in the first place, and so I tugged the door open to leave.

When I had to swim my way out, I hadn’t realized the abilities lost in this new form, stuff I never even thought about before, not that I had the time. I immediately choked as I inhaled the water, and sought air as I swam to the surface of Lake Hylia. Breaking the surface greeted me with a biting night wind, and I clenched my eyes shut in the new pain all this brought me. Whatever had happened to me, it was _horrible_. I was limited in everything I did and sensitive to the things around me. Despite leaving, I felt like the world wasn’t mine but _I_ was the _world’s_ , at its mercy as I swam to the shore, shivering cold.

By instinct I was rubbing at my arms, trying to stay warm, despite my clothes being absolutely drenched. Racking through my thoughts, I tried to remember all the types of things humans would have to deal with, memories not a part of mine but my counterpart. I felt like he did now, didn’t I? Was he always so cold?

I didn’t even once consider the small laboratory as a place I could enter, and I hadn’t thought of shelter even once as I ventured out into Hyrule Field. From some alien part of the back of my mind, I almost began to hum a song, but I quickly stopped myself. I didn’t know any songs and I certainly didn’t want to attract attention, humming little tunes as I trudged through the field at night. I hugged myself tighter as I shuffled through the grass, wondering if there was some sort of way to get through this kingdom faster. Perhaps if I had a horse, like my counterpart did, but I wondered how animals would react to me when they acted so kindly toward him.

My stomach began to hurt along with the cold that bit through my clothes and latched to my skin. My teeth chattered and I groaned as I found a small path through thin woods into a village I hadn’t known existed, or at least, my counterpart didn’t know. Loathe as I was to say it, I was miserable in this new form, unable to care for this body’s new needs, unable to understand it’s new limitations. For a moment, I didn’t process the figures in front of me as my vision turned blurry for a moment. I heard the growls and snarls of canines, and when I squinted I could see the fur of a wolf lunge at me--

Oh, a welcome greeting indeed.

I could only hold my arms up weakly to keep it from biting my face off, and grunted as it threw me against a tree trunk and then to the ground. The others were making their way towards me, and I didn’t have the arms, or really the energy, to reach toward my sword. For a good moment I figured it was better to die anyways, rather than live the short, painful life of a Hylian. For a moment, I was pretty sure I had just given up. But then, when I remembered how much pain hurt now, and how little I wanted to feel of it, the idea of letting wolves eat me alive was something I very much wanted to _avoid_ , and I used up the last bit of energy in me to kick the wolf off with my might and roll backwards, making it to my wobbly feet in time to grab my sword.

Three wolves against one greatly weakened and confused Hylian. It wasn’t very fair, but then again, nothing in this world seemed to be.

 

\---

 

Somewhere not too far from the woods, in the small village that wasn’t well known or very populated, a girl named Leilani kneeled on her bed and stared up at the stars through her little window. She had puffs of hair in two little buns, curly and bouncy, and her eyes grew tired as the hours flew by. She had stared up at the sky all night, despite her bedtime being after the sun sets and after she had finished all her green peas and after her parents had tucked her into bed and kissed her head. She didn’t usually care much for staying up, but tonight, she had a reason. There was going to be a shooting star tonight.

A small witch had passed by the village on an adventure, and gave small little fortunes to everyone. Though her parents said both witches and fortunes were absolute hogwash, every part of Leilani believed in her own fortune. When the witch, young with big eyes and a big red bow, crouched down and told her that a star would fall from the sky and that her wish would come true, there was no part of Leilani that doubted it. Staring up at the sky, she was afraid that she would miss the image of a star shooting across the sky. So even if she was really tired, and even if she really had to pee, she couldn’t miss this. She had a wish that needed to come true, and she’d wait until sunrise if she needed to.

Just as her body began to disagree and she began to slump forward, ready for bed, she saw something shine bright in the sky. She blinked as much as she could, rubbing the sleep from her eyes furiously so she could look up and watch. Just like she had imagined, just like she had hoped, she watched the witch’s fortune come true as a small star shot across the sky. Leilani thought it’d be a little bigger, and maybe a little flashier, but a shooting star was a shooting star, and a wish was a wish. She put her hands together and closed her eyes, knowing she had to make her wish now.

“I wish, pretty star sent by the little witch from today,” she whispered so her parents wouldn’t hear. “That I could have someone come here so they can keep me company and teach me all sorts of things and help me be really cool and rich without having to work a lot. If you can’t do that, I’d be fine with a puppy. Thank you!”

She sent a kiss up into the sky, but by then, the shooting star was gone. She crawled into bed, grinning from ear to ear, jittery in excitement for the upcoming day. She wondered what sort of new kid would move into the village, or what kind of puppy the stars thought was best for her. Even as she fell asleep she couldn’t even decide if she wanted a small one or big one, but it didn’t matter; she’d get it eventually.

She fell asleep, peaceful under the light of the moon, ready for her new friend.

 

\---

 

The last thing I remembered was collapsing.

I couldn’t really remember, even as I came to, if I had beaten the wolves or not. I likely wouldn’t be alive if I hadn’t, but I also felt as if it was impossible. Waking up, I felt every bit as miserable as I had before passing out, but now, I felt the bite of wounds too, and couldn’t move from where I laid without great pain and effort. Opening my eyes, I was surprised to find the feeling of cold gone, and replaced with a much more gentler feeling, something soft against my body, that soothed my aching muscles. Warmth. I could hear the crackle of the fireplace before I saw it.

I was in somebody’s home. I repeated it again in my head. I was in somebody’s home. For a moment I wondered if the original me had come back, if I simply had only a desire for killing as a creature, and that killing my counterpart was not my only purpose, but I quickly realized this couldn’t be true, for I was bandaged up and cared for, only my own blood smeared on myself, only the wounds from the wolves apparent on me. No, someone had willingly helped me. _Me_. A _monster_.

I gasped when I saw my reflection, mistaking it for someone else, not yet used to the idea of my own existence outside of a shadow. I squinted, remembering yet again that I no longer looked like an unnatural creature. No, the cuts on my face bled and my ears twitched as they grew red with warmth. I was every bit alive as my counterpart now, every bit as alive as any other human in this town. I touched my cheek, watching my reflection follow. It was like watching someone else move and breathe, but it was me. At least, I believed it was me. I moved my fingers, one after the other, just to make sure, and surely enough, the reflection followed perfectly. This was me now, wherever I was. I was in control of my own body, and I was alive as alive could be. Even if alive wasn’t much, right now.

Whoever lived here was impossibly kind to strangers. They left fresh clothes at the tableside, my old tunic nowhere to be seen. My sword and shield leaned against the bed, and some boots flopped to the side near the doorway. Even the fireplace seemed recently tended to. I found a new emotion in me as I snorted and began to laugh at the thought of someone being so _kind_ to me. A sort of happiness in finding something so funny. I couldn’t stop, even as it hurt my chest, and I kicked out my legs when it became too much. Just when I thought it wouldn’t stop, I calmed down, taking deep breaths and wiping tears from my eyes. It would take some getting used to, all these new emotions, and sometimes I felt afraid I’d get lost in them.

Not wanting to waste time, I slipped on the clothes and new boots with _much_ trouble. Injuries on this body hurt badly, and moving went from convenient to an obstacle. The clothes were nothing fancy, and yet nothing too old. They were farmer’s clothes, but felt freshly washed and smelled faintly of flowers. I twisted my face at the smell. A part of me found it delightful, but another part of me wanted to scream. I ignored it as I walked around the room, trying to exercise the pain out of me. My muscles screamed as did the wounds in my side, but I needed to get out of here, and fast.

Before I left, I took another look in the mirror. In different clothes, I realized I looked like an entirely different person. Though we shared the same face, same hair, same exact body, I could see someone different than my counterpart in the mirror. I could see a beginning of _me_ , even though I didn’t know what _me_ even meant yet. I looked ready to leave on an adventure of a lifetime, and yet, I had no idea where to go. My stomach still hurt and I was still injured. I didn’t even have a name. There was no _me_ yet. In all but name, I was still a shadow of someone else.

I heard the creak of the door. By instinct, I grabbed for my sword and shield, holding both before me as someone stepped in.

There was no need. A small child blinked and stared at the weapons pointed before her, not sure what to make of the situation. I didn’t either. I didn’t know if the child was dangerous, or what her intentions were. I was sure that children were supposed to be innocent, but I wasn’t about to take my chances based off the hero’s thoughts. I’d make my own self, and maybe my own self didn’t trust children.

However, the child did nothing. She just smiled up at me, in an odd, odd way, as if expecting something from me. She looked _happy_ to see me. As if I was some longtime friend of hers. Maybe my counterpart knew her.

“You really came...” she finally whispered, before giggling and setting down a tray that I had only just noticed she had brought in. It was a simple cup of milk and some bread, but it made my stomach rumble all the same. In a moment of weakness, I lowered my weapon, staring at the food she had brought in. She grinned now, noticing my hunger.

“It’s for you,” she offered, “You don’t have to look so sad.”

I stared at her, wondering what to say. She didn’t pose any threat to me, it seemed, and she was so small, I felt a part of me pity her. No, pity wasn’t the right word, but I didn’t _know_ the right word. Either way, I let my sword and shield slip to floor and sat at the bed again, snatching the bread and beginning to eat it viciously. Just as it was odd to feel hungry, it was odd to feel the pain fade away, too. This body was so high maintenance yet at the same time, a few bites could give it so much energy. Perhaps I hadn’t even begun to learn the secrets to being alive. I looked up to the child, still staring at me, and asked, “Child, tell me, how often do us people get hungry?”

She didn’t seem fazed at all by my words, and told me simply, “We usually eat three meals a day, if that’s what you mean, but sometimes I sneak cookies from the jar. Don’t tell mama.”

“I see,” I nodded, thinking that three meals didn’t sound too bad. I could get used to that. Bread wasn’t bad, and I hadn’t tried the milk yet. I continued, “Where am I?”

“Sunpost village,” she watched as I threw the milk too quickly into my face and spilled it from my mouth to my new clothes. She snorted and let out an ugly laugh as I wiped at it, frustrated as a new feeling of shame made my cheeks grow warm, “You’re weird! I guess it makes sense, since you came from the stars. You’re not a puppy, but I’ll take it.”

I raised my eyebrow, “I don’t come from the stars.”

“Where do you come from, then?”

I blinked. I had no problem telling her I came from the water temple, from a lonely room with a lonely tree and endless water, but at the same time, I wondered if that was truly where I came from. Was it that room, was it the Great Evil, or was it the Hero himself? I opened and closed my mouth, and before I could decide, she made her own answer.

“You probably just don’t remember anything because you got hurt. One time I scraped my knee, and I had a really hard time remembering this boy’s name in the village, so just heal up so you can tell me all about where you come from, ok?”

“Are you ordering me around?” I asked, offended.

She raised an eyebrow before shaking her head, “No, why would I do that? We’re friends. Friends don’t order each other around. We ask for stuff from each other. Like cool toys.”

 _Friends?_ Whoever said we were _friends_? I don’t want _friends_! I was no one’s friend, and certainly not a tiny little child in some forgotten village in the middle of a frozen fish palace and a lake with a crumbing temple at the bottom of it. I stood up quickly now, startling her for a moment as I grabbed my sword and shield again.

“Where are you going?” She asked, panicked.

“Doesn’t matter,” I told her, “I’ll just find it.”

“But you don’t even have any rupees,” she pointed out. “And how will you get around without a horse?”

“I don’t know!” I replied, harsher than I intended, but having no reason to care. “But I do know I don’t have time to be making friends, so you--you should let me go.”

I stared down at her curiously as she grabbed at the bottom of my tunic, keeping me from leaving. She stared up at me, and though I wanted so badly to snap at her, something about her big brown eyes kept me from doing so. That pitiable feeling yet again. As her eyes watered, I sighed and said, “I’d be very boring.”

“You don’t look boring,” She pointed out.

“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover,” I told her.

“Then don’t judge me because I’m a kid,” she retorted.

I glared, “I never said I was judging you.”

“But you do that thing people do, where they really want to leave because a little kid wants to play with them,” she sounded too wise for her age, and a hint of sadness entered her voice as she told me quietly. “Everyone does it. I know by now. No one wants to play with me.”

She wouldn’t leave me alone, would she? Whether this elaborate story was a ruse to get me to stay or the genuine odd emotions of a child, I decided to humor her. “Fine. We can play.”

She brightened and laughed, clapping her hands before grabbing my hand and tugging me out of the room. I limped slightly as I followed after her, and she began to talk about her toys, each of which were made out of hay and string. Before she could drag my tired body up the old looking stairs, however, a young woman yelled, “ _Leilani_!”

The girl stopped. Instinct told me I should, too, though a part of me said it was ridiculous to listen to someone so easily like that. Still, the young woman had an air of authority so thick on her I could feel it before she approached us. She crossed her arms, looking down at the small little girl who refused to meet her eye, shuffling her little feet.

“Leilani.” Her tone was stern.

“Mama,” Leilani replied, trying to sound nonchalant and failing.

“This stranger has some _serious_ injuries. I told you to leave him alone after you gave him breakfast, remember?”

Leilani lightly scratched at the floor with the tip of her foot, still staring at the ground as she replied. “Yes, mama.”

“At _least_ let mama talk to him, ok?” her face suddenly turned soft, an expression that held some sort of emotion like happiness, but I could tell in her eyes it was more than just that. Whatever it was, I couldn’t grasp at all what it was or meant or even felt like.

Leilani nodded sadly, before scurrying up the steps and into what I assumed must’ve been her room. I turned back to the young woman as she sighed. Before she could turn to greet me, however, I was walking towards the door.

“Whoa!” She yelled out, rushing to stop me from leaving the house, “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Doesn’t matter,” I repeated. “I just need to go.”

“You’re badly injured!” She stated in amazement, gesturing to my body.

I looked down and shrugged, “I’ll heal, right?”

“Not if you keep moving around like this!” She closed the door hurriedly, her hands gently leading me back into the kitchen again. The feeling of her so close made me want to scream. I didn’t like all this touching, at least, not yet. Each hand that touched me could just as easily strangle me. I didn’t trust her, and despite the size of her daughter, I didn’t trust her, either. I wondered if anyone else lived here, but I didn’t want the mother to think I was interested. Still, strategically, it’d be good to know...

“I’m Thema,” she explained, stopping my train of thought and holding out her hand, “And you?”

I didn’t know what to do with her hand, so I ignored it as I began to reply with ‘Link’, before realizing I couldn’t use that name. At least, I couldn’t use that name with pride. Instead, I stopped myself, accidentally deeming myself, “Lin.”

“Lin. What a nice name,” she commented, much to my dismay. “Anyways, don’t worry about leaving yet. You can stay here until you’ve healed up, ok? If you’re going out adventuring, it’s best you stay in shape. Not to mention for such an upstanding looking man like yourself, you have no rupees to your name.”

What had I said? Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Seemed fitting now. “I don’t need rupees,” I answered instead, despite knowing very well that I do.

She could see through just about anything, her gaze cut like a knife and I believed if she squinted she could see through walls, “You’re not leaving this home until you have your own two feet to stand on. I need plenty of work done on the farm, so you can stay here and work here if you’d like.”

“I wouldn’t,” I told her, “I don’t want help. I just want to get out and get going.”

“ _Where_ do you want to go _so bad?_ ” She stared at me, absolutely baffled. For a moment, I noticed the similarities between her and her daughter; their hair was tightly curled the same way, and they shared the same freckles. Leilani had asked a similar question, and still, I couldn’t answer them.

“I don’t have anywhere to go, but I’ll make somewhere want me, I’m sure.” I answered finally.

She shook her head with a long, tired sigh. She sounded more like she was frustrated with a child rather than a grown man, and I felt that shame again as she said, “Well, here you go. You’ve made us want you enough. At least heal, would you? I can’t stand the idea of someone going out there with your injuries.”

“Fine, I agree to your conditions.” _Stubbornness runs in the family, I suppose._

She suddenly blanked, before shining a small smile, something that felt odd and even funny, “Good! You can stay in the guest room, then. You still need to take it easy before you start working, but if you want, you could walk around town when you’re feeling better later. I’m sure it’d be refreshing for everyone to see a new face.”

“Sure.” _Not my face._ I turned to leave, but Thema called out for me again.

“Lin…” She sighed when I had turned to look at her. “Be gentle with Leilani, ok? I’m trying my best with her, but… I’m just not gentle like her father was.”

I laughed, and once again I found I couldn’t control it and had to clutch the wall as I laughed and laughed and laughed, out of finding her words funny or something else I couldn’t understand, but by the time I answered, my chest hurt again, and I was ready for sleep, “You’re talking to the wrong person about that.”

I clutched my side and made my way back to the wooden bed in the small room. I’d be in and out of here in no time, I was sure of it. I wanted to convince myself just a little help couldn’t hurt. I’m sure the Hero had plenty help, too. No shame, I tried to think. Then again, what I found shameful and what he did might be different. In fact, I almost wanted it to be.

Pushing out his memories and his thoughts, I laid down and stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out exactly what I was now. I felt like I was born only yesterday, yet I had no guidance, no help. I wasn’t about to start now. I could make it on my own. I would make myself, and I wouldn’t have any lady or her tiny daughter change that.

_I won’t have the hero change that._

Sleep took me as I thought, and I thought, and couldn't stop thinking, well into my new dreams.


	2. Lost in the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda tries to be a Queen, but has too much on her shoulders that no one seems to care about. Dark continues to try and find out just what he's here for.

She could still see through the eyes of her younger self. The puppies running around town, the people who crowded around merchants to buy silly old things from a single kingdom away, the goofy guards and their too-formal stance whenever she had passed. The light seemed to shine everyday in Castle Town back then. No cloud was able to cover up the togetherness of Castle Town, the colors of the flowers and the banner. Most of all, she remembered, was her true home; Hyrule Castle, towering over the town as if a beacon of hope, protection, the love and care her and her father had for this kingdom. But naturally, it had crumbled.

Hyrule Castle was gone. It had been gone for years, but even now it felt as if it had to be there yesterday, it must’ve been, and just in case it was, she visited the crater everyday. She stared at where it used to be, tried to will it there, but was greeted with the same sad sight every time. Hyrule Castle hadn’t come back. It couldn’t. Seven years, but she could still see it enough to stay there and watch the wind blow rocks by.

“ _ Queen Zelda _ !”

A shrill voice sounded from the path. The lady sprung to her feet, stepping back and nearly tripping on her dress as her new advisor appeared.

Black hair tied tight in a high bun, with not a single hair out of place. Her own tunic was without a wrinkle, and her belt fit like a perfect circle around her waist. Faiza was the most fit advisor Zelda had ever met, but also the youngest, and inexperienced. In a way, it relieved Zelda, even if she could be a little strict at times.

“Impa has been looking everywhere for you, you know.” Faiza sighed and shook her head as she approached the newly made queen, who looked more like a tired mother of three than a beautiful and powerful monarch. “You can’t keep running away from your duties as Queen!”

“I’m not,” Zelda replied coldly, gracefully making her way past Faiza, “Everyone assumes that. And--and even if I am, sometimes, why does everyone expect me to be able to fix Hyrule in a snap? I am not a goddess! I am not some sort of… of… of otherworldly being, aware of all, able to smite any evil! I just got back from the last one, and I’m…”

Zelda held her face, remembering who she was, and hating it, and had to keep herself from pulling her hair in front of Faiza. Instead, she straightened her posture, keeping the tears in and breathing the bad thoughts out. It was all still there, bottled up like a fairy and its dust, but she instead replaced her words of pain with words of a Queen, “I’ve been working on the issue of the followers of Ganon. They’ve caught wind quite quickly of our advances, so they’ve been much sneakier. I’m afraid more direct action will be needed.”

“Impa said the same,” Faiza walked briskly beside her, tucking her feather into her hair and rolling up her parchment to put in her bag, “She’s awaiting your orders.”

But Zelda wasn’t planning on Impa finding them. No, as she pulled her heavy feet through the ruin of Castle Town, passing by the few sad souls who still lived here, who still tried to bring back what they once had, she wasn’t planning on that at all. She wasn’t staying here. She wasn’t going to avoid anything. She was going to do something.

She turned to Faiza, and Faiza couldn’t meet her eyes. Zelda turned again, looking straight ahead.

“I doubt even your father could’ve done this, Zelda. It’s a lot,” Faiza tried to sympathize. “But even if  _ you're  _ still stuck in the past, there  _ is _ an after in all this ruin. We have to keep going for the people.”

“What about me?” Zelda whispered back, but it was carried by the wind, covered by the crunch of dead tree branches by the crumbled town’s homes. Faiza looked at the princess, bewildered.

“Pardon me Princess, but I couldn’t hear you?”

They were at the bridge now, quickly fixed, ready to break again. Hyrule field was eerily empty, eerily quiet, and Zelda looked towards Kakariko village. Faiza was wrong. Her father could’ve handled this, if he was alive. He could’ve rebuilt Castle Town bigger and better. But he didn’t have the scars she wore on her skin, the trauma she carried on her back. He was dead. He was gone. Voice as good as dust. And he left  _ this _ to his heir.

Zelda wiped at her eyes, even though she did not cry, “I said, let’s go.”

Old habits die hard. She avoided Faiza and she avoided her own thoughts as they made their way to Kakariko village.

 

\---

 

Cuccos clucked. The sun had rose. Wounds began to close. It was a whole new day, and I found I felt nothing but the basic pains, the sores, the aches, of a human body. A human body but no human emotion. When it was there it was new and frightening, but the lack of it scared me all the same now. I needed to find a purpose in this world. Different from my counterpart’s. My own reason.

I lifted myself up, feeling much more well rested. Though I still hurt, there was a much needed numbness to it now as I stood and stretched my arms and legs. The fireplace was still warm. The window let light in and it shined brilliantly against my skin. For a moment I was captured by the image; the light touching my brown fingers-- _ mine _ . The light had decided to touch  _ me _ . A shadow being no longer in skin and blood. It still sent my mind in spirals and I laughed again, barely able to stop myself from getting into another fit. Only a small noise had stopped me.

“You’re awake!”

The small girl from before giggled and scurried in, standing up straight and looking up to look me in the eyes. I stared boredly back, searching my head for a reply before finally deciding, “I suppose I am.”

“I’ve been checking up on you, because mama’s busy with work.” She smiled and swayed from one foot to the other, red baggy overalls shuffling as she moved. “We get to play all day today! First is breakfast, though.”

“Breakfast?” I questioned.

“Yeah. It’s the most important meal of the day, so you have to eat it, ok?” She looked up at me sternly, crossing her arms to let me know she meant business.

I nodded, “Alright kid. Eating isn’t bad, I’ll admit it.”

“I know right?” She giggled like she made the most amazing discovery, before continuing, “Mama made some eggs before she left. They should still be warm, so c’mon to the table.”

I followed her eager footsteps to where we had gone before, only this time, I was allowed to sit at what she called the dinner table, despite the fact we were eating breakfast. I allowed her tiny hands to place a plate and cup in front of me, along with two utensils. The food in front of me was foreign, nothing like the bread I had eaten yesterday.

“This isn’t poisonous, right?” I asked Leilani.

She snorted, “Just ‘cause it’s not bread don’t mean it’s poisonous. Just eat it, weenie.”

“What?!” I could tell by the tone she meant it as an insult, “How dare you? What I have done that has caused you to fling insults at me?”

“It’s just a weenie, weenie.” She laughed ridiculously hard at my reaction, going as far as to bend over to catch her breath. “It’s what me and mama called my papa, before he left.”

I ignored the knife and fork she had given me and picked up the egg with my fingers, dropping it nonchalantly down my throat before turning to her and asking, “Where’d he go?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, “But I hope wherever he went, you can go see him too. Tell him I sent you, and maybe he’ll give you a kiss. He’s really nice.”

“I’ll pass,” I muttered.

“Your loss. He’s reaaaaally fun to hug.” She smiled for a moment, before the odd mood swings of a child had returned, and she sighed, “I miss him. I hope he comes back soon. I want you two to meet.”

“It’d certainly be interesting.” I didn’t want to offend her, but I certainly didn’t want her thinking I actually wanted to meet this kind man. The last thing I needed was more people around me, cooing at me like I was an injured little baby bird. I craved attention but I rejected this idea of people acknowledging any good part of me. Was I good? I never thought so before, but then again, I never  _ thought _ before.

She interrupted my conflicting thoughts with an excited, “He’d like to meet my best friend, so he’d be extra, extra nice to you. If not, I’ll beat him up.”

That was an entertaining thought. For once, I found myself chuckling, not laughing as I had before. A comfortable gesture, that almost made my chest warm with happiness. It was odd. I didn’t know if I liked it or not, but I knew that it was odd.

She grinned from ear to ear, “I know I’m funny.”

The happiness faded away as I gave her a disbelieving look, “I said nothing.”

“You don’t gotta say things to mean things, y’know,” She pointed out, something that I felt would be words Thema had said before. “Sometimes you do a thing and it means the opposite of what you say. So you just gotta do a lot of guessing and checking and learning with people. At least, that’s what mama said. I don’t really know what that means, so I think it’s ok to say people think I’m cool.”

She was wrong. But I liked her attitude. “I’m finished. I suppose I should be shown around town now.”

Leilani jumped up and screeched in only that way little children could, giggling as she jumped and jumped again, “I get to show you to my favorite places! There’s not a lot, but they’re all fun, and some are big, and some are small, and I think you’ll like some, but also you could hate them. Let’s go, let’s go! I’ll introduce you to really cute girls!”

“Why?” I raised an eyebrow as she dragged me from my seat and towards the door.

“Because you should probably date a cute girl someday,” Leilani advised me as she pulled on her boots, “Cute girls are really cute, and they deserve someone nice like you.”

“I’m not nice,” I replied automatically.

“Then what are you?” she asked, her big black eyes boring into me.

I didn’t know how to answer. Whether she asked if I was good or bad, whether it was a question of what I was as a whole, I had no answer. I was simply feeling as things went, going along for the ride, figuring out my motivations, my goods and my bads as I went. I couldn’t answer.

As usual, Leilani made her own answer, “Well, you can be two things. I know you’re good because good people play with kids, so that’s one thing. You gotta figure out the other thing, though.”

I found myself laughing again, softly, as I opened the door and she scurried under my arm, “I feel as if you might regret saying that.”

“I don’t know what regret means.” she told me, so seriously, I couldn’t help but laugh again as we left the small home.

The sun was blinding. Now it shone on all of me, and I wished so desperately for a mirror now, to record my reaction, how I looked, so differently dressed, so differently placed, than from that lonely little room in the water temple. It was so warm, so gentle here, and I began to wonder again about what being alive truly meant. What I truly was. If this was something I  _ truly  _ wanted.

Leilani had decided for me, apparently, “You’re going to love it here.”

I snorted, but did not reply.

 

\---

 

Kakariko village was quiet. It hadn’t been torn apart, taken over, and brutally erased as Castle Town had been, but the ash and marks from the fire still remained. Scars were apparent no matter where you went in Hyrule. Zelda and Faiza were a welcome sight in Kakariko Village, and the villagers happily bowed and greeted the new Queen and her advisor. Zelda waved as she went but couldn’t find it in her to smile.

Faiza placed a gentle hand on Zelda’s arms, to which the Queen flinched away from. Ashamed, Faiza let her arm drop and looked away, “My Queen…”

“I told you to call me Zelda.” Zelda looked down at Faiza, then, when seeing how much she had shied away from Zelda’s cold demeanor, she softened, “Please. It makes things easier for me.”

Faiza fiddled with the feather at her pointed ear, “I just… wanted to offer you comfort, is all. I will do whatever is in my power to do so.”

Zelda’s smile felt like the cracks in the desert floor, and hurt the way a cut did. “Thank you.”

Faiza could tell it hadn’t helped, but she meant her words all the same, and nodded dutifully toward the Queen. “Let us meet with Impa, then, to learn more information on Ganon’s new followers.”

The houses of Kakariko village were small, and were not made to be the base of a kingdom's operations. Even Impa’s house, bigger than the others, seemed cramped and suffocating with all the soldiers grouped around the familiar iron fisted bodyguard. Small papers with instructions painted on and little diagrams hung from the stairs. The house had a sort of glowing warm feeling to it, like an ember in the middle of a dark forest. It felt like a home away from home.

The group looked up as Zelda and Faiza entered. Impa let a smile slip as the soldiers all turned and threw themselves forward to bow. They all shouted, “My Queen!” out of unison, and the awkward whispers of new recruits were heard as the voices slowly died.

“Impa.” Zelda nodded.

“My Queen,” Impa replied, much to Zelda’s displeasure, though she  _ knew  _ she had to, “I’m assuming you’re here about the new followers.”

“I am,” Zelda walked forward, cutting through soldiers like a knife with touching a single soul. Once at the table, she leaned over the map, scanning the little pins pushed into little corners of the shape of Hyrule, “Faiza informed me that you agreed that we needed to do something much more direct. What are your suggestions?”

Impa looked down at the map again, and Zelda felt a pang as she watched her sigh, “I’m afraid that before we make any decisions like that, we’d need to know  _ where  _ they are. Conversing with the sages, I’ve found that they haven’t caught wind of this situation at all. These followers are either extremely good at what they do, or…”

“Or they’re really well hidden,” Zelda finished.

“There’s places the sage’s influence won’t reach?” Faiza questioned, genuinely curious as she leaned over with the eyes of a child. Zelda had noticed in her time with Faiza that she loved stories and magic. She grew up in a small village, hidden away from most of Hyrule. Magic was not a well known thing, nor believed, but she grew up believing with that childish look in her eye that carried into adulthood. Zelda couldn’t help but smile at her again.

Impa spoke before Zelda could, “The sages are not entirely omniscient, and we often have to use our powers together to see all of Hyrule. But there are places where things go unnoticed. Often small towns where very little happens, or even areas we haven’t discovered. And not all magic is noticeable to us. We can’t be watching everything at once, after all. These followers don’t have to be smart to be inconspicuous.”

“So they’re likely somewhere we never thought of even checking,” Faiza reasoned.

“Correct, however,” Impa tapped the map, her finger at the center of all the pins. “We’ve checked nearly every town, every crevice of every area, from Death Mountain to Zora’s Domain… we haven’t found anything about them anywhere. They popped up here and there at first, but…”

“What about these towns?” Faiza pointed to small dots on the map that had no pins, and seemed tucked away behind trees and rocks. Impa looked at them, scratching at her chin.

“I suppose our next move would be to check out smaller towns like this,” Impa nodded, tapping a small town near Kakariko, “I’ll take this one, if you would allow me, Princess.”

“So long as  _ I _ get to take  _ this _ one.” Zelda pointed to the town near Lake Hylia, tucked away behind trees. She’d never been there before, but she needed to make sure she was involved in this, so any town would do. Any longer as Queen Zelda and she’d scream bloody murder.

“Sunpost…” Faiza whispered.

“My Queen, that’s extremely ill advised,” Impa looked more than just a military commander now, instead, she looked like a mother as she caught Zelda’s eyes, “You need to make sure to stay here for the people. You’re all they have.”

“And that’s why we must put all we can into finding these followers of Ganon! I have had  _ enough  _ of this disgusting man! He has taken away  _ everything _ from me! Me, and--and my people! I’m going there.”

“We can’t have the Queen leaving Hyrule to find some  _ brigands _ .” Impa sounded desperate, begging now, but Zelda had made up her mind.

“I don’t have to be Queen Zelda.” Zelda smirked.

Impa, as she often did, turned to steel. She put her foot down now, like a statue of stone and glared, “If I see you, or  _ Sheik _ , leave your safehouse tonight, I  _ will _ stop you, even if I have to lift you and drag you myself.”

Gasps. The soldiers didn’t know who to side with; this was an argument between the  _ Queen _ , but also the  _ mother figure _ of said Queen. And that mother figure was  _ Impa _ . They all stepped back, refusing to get in the middle of this. Faiza gulped and did the same.

Zelda felt nervous now, but she continued none-the-less, “You can’t stop me. I’m the Queen.”

Impa crossed her arms, unmoved, and for the first time in a while, Zelda felt a bit of fear grow in her chest, “And I am your bodyguard. As far as I’m concerned, you are still Princess Zelda. You are still learning. And you  _ must  _ stay here, for the safety of you and your people.”

Faiza stepped forward again, a burst of confidence, “Impa’s right. If… If anything ever happened to you, I don’t…”

“Nothing will happen to me!” Zelda let her voice raise, despite knowing it wasn’t very ladylike at all, “Have some faith, Impa! I’m not a little girl anymore! I ran away from Ganon for years! I lived away from a home, a family, for  _ years _ ! My father is dead and I must take his throne in the time of the worst tragedy of our history! I fought  _ Ganon  _ alongside… alongside the  _ hero _ ! I can take care of myself! I can make my own decisions!”

“Not when you’re  _ hurting _ like this!” Impa stepped around the table, and Zelda found she couldn’t move under the woman’s stare. Even with her harsh eyes, Impa’s rough hands were gentle on Zelda’s shoulders. “You are throwing yourself into things without a care for your safety, and so, by extension, your people. You think you’re doing the best for your people, but you are so quick to throw away your worth to them _. _ You  _ must _ be careful.” Impa tilted her head, shaking it, as she let her hand stroke Zelda’s cheek, and Zelda felt at home again for a moment, a small child in Hyrule castle once more, “You are too young to be carrying these burdens. Don’t let yourself fall into things you know are not good for you.”

“I need to grow up, Impa,” Zelda looked up at her, trying not to cry.

Impa hadn’t wavered, “You do. But you’re not going to do it throwing yourself into unnecessary danger. Growing up means knowing how to take care of yourself, too. Would Link want you out there, fighting, when you should be recovering?”

Zelda had done something that shocked the entire group there. She stepped back, away from Impa’s gentle touch, and she turned away and walked out without a word. She hadn’t beckoned Faiza to follow her, she hadn’t said anything, she hadn’t even shut the door. She had up and left with the mention of the Hero of Time, without so much as a tear, without a scream or shout or laugh. Nothing. She left straight-faced, her chin up.

Impa sighed, “I had to bring him up, didn’t I? Idiot move.”

Faiza raised her eyebrows, turning to Impa now, “What happened between Zelda and the Hero of Time?”

Impa turned to Faiza with a sympathetic look, “I know you only care about Zelda, but her feelings on the matter are hers. If you must know, then you must ask her yourself. It’s only right she tell you.”

Faiza hesitated, but she finally nodded furiously, her bun bouncing as she did, “Thank you, Impa. I will see to it Zelda gets back to her room.”

“Thank you.”

Faiza began to leave in the gap in the group of guards, but just as she was about to close the door, someone called out for her. Impa.

“Faiza.”

Faiza blinked, “Yes, Impa?”

Impa closed her eyes for a moment, looking pained, before finally saying, “Take care of her for me. I’m afraid I’m too old to understand her anymore.”

Faiza let out a small smile, before nodding, a hint of red on her cheeks, “Of course, Impa.”

Impa’s home was still quiet, even moments after the door closed. Impa stared after, waiting for the Princess to come back, but there was no longer a Princess. She sighed, turning back to the map.

“Now that we’ve decided our course of action, we need troops in this village…”

 

\---

 

The village, I noted, was not a very big one. It didn’t have it’s own town square, or anywhere you would pinpoint as a place where the villagers would meet up. The shops were relatively near each other, while farmhouses stayed farther out. There was a place that might’ve been an inn, but I couldn’t tell if it was even open anymore. Leilani dragged me through the small town by my hand, not looking back once to see my reaction to anything.

“That over there is the boo-boo place where you can get bandages and goo to feel better.” She pointed over to another building. “That’s where there’s construction stuff. People’s houses are really old here.” She then swiveled around, and I stumbled as I turned with her. “And that over there is the horsie place. Oh, that’s the nice place where you used to be able to get a canoe and go out on Lake Hylia. It shut down and was a pottery place for a while, but since the lake’s back, it’s open again. The girl there is really cute. You should meet her.”

“Stop trying to set me up with people,” I tugged back when she tugged on my hand.

She looked up, her face scrunched up, “I didn’t say it was for you, Mr. Smarty pants.”

Something about the situation made me laugh. It was so funny, to think that I came out of that temple only to spend my time with this overconfident child. It was funny to think I didn’t entirely mind, at times. I followed her to the store, where canoes laid out lazily against the front of the shop. Briefly, I thought of how it must not be that hard to steal one.

The inside was a little flashier.

Perhaps flashy wasn’t the right word. The inside was  _ cluttered _ ; shelves were filled with all sorts of little knick-knacks. There were a few relevant things, such as fishing lures and oars, but a lot of it seemed like something one would find in their attic and need to get rid of quickly. There was too much of it, and too little people here to buy it. By the looks of it, the owner kept piling junk, anyways. I wondered, however, if any of this could be useful to me. I wasn’t sure what for, but as I spotted a broken slingshot and a dusty boomerang, I started to think of a few things.

A lady at the counter had been busy talking to a smaller man with a large mustache, but she brightened and turned the moment Leilani waved her hand.

“Lei!” She giggled and ran to hop and slide over the counter, crouching to give Leilani a big hug. It was obvious that the two of them were close, though that was easy to figure out just from the nickname. But the woman from the counter was obviously beyond happy to see Leilani, as if she’d wait her whole workday just to hang out with this small child. I couldn’t see why anyone would want to  _ expect _ the company of another being. What an empty and sad life to simply wait around for a small child to talk to you.

I didn’t voice this out loud, however. The woman looked between me and Leilani, raising an eyebrow. She had a headscarf on, and light brown eyes that turned more gold when she moved into the light of the windows. She wore rain boots and a long, flowing skirt, and both her arms had a large expanse of bracelets.

She fiddled with the edge of her vest, “Oh, hello, I didn’t know Leilani had friends…?”

Leilani introduced me, “This is my best friend, Lint.”

_ Excuse me? _ I glared down at Leilani, “It’s Lin, kid.”

“That’s what I said!” She turned to pout and put her hands on her hips, “Lint.”

The woman laughed obnoxiously, snorting as she turned to me, “You gotta love her.”

“Not really,” I corrected, “I don’t  _ have  _ to.”

“I didn’t mean it literally,” She sighed and rolled her eyes, but I noticed she still smiled, “I can’t tell if you’re messing with me or not. So your name’s Lin?”

I almost rejected the idea, before remembering this was my new identity, whether I liked it or not. I’m Lin now. Whoever Lin is. “Yeah… yeah, I’m Lin.”

She held out a hand, once again, a gesture I was not familiar with, “I’m Ghada. Where are you from? Never seen you around.”

She continued to hold out her hand. I looked down at it, raising an eyebrow. “Are you gonna do something with that?”

She quickly retracted her hand, “Geez, you’re a little rude, aren’t you? Just trying to be friendly,  _ Lint _ .”

“Lin!” I corrected, groaning.

“He just doesn’t know things because he’s from space,” Leilani held out her hand to me now, “Lint, you shake hands when people do this. It’s a hello when you first meet them.”

“I already know you.”

“Then shake Ghada’s hand.”

“I already know her.”

Ghada snorted yet again, “Lei, your friend’s  _ weird _ . Where’d you say he’s from? Space?”

“I’m not from space,” I informed her.

It was pointless. Leilani stated her information like it was fact, “He’s my best friend and he fell out of space to meet me and keep me company until papa comes back.”

Ghada winced at the mention of Leilani’s father. I had already began to figure out where this father of her’s was. “Of course, Lei. Well, that’s nice of him. Maybe he’s not so bad a person, then?”

“No, I’m awful,” I answered automatically. “Can I see that boomerang?”

“Sure,” Ghada shrugged as I walked over to grab the item that had been my focus since we entered. “Do you have problems with yourself or something?”

“No,” I answered just as Leilani answered, “Yes.”

“No I don’t,” I corrected Leilani.

“He thinks he’s bad but he’s my best friend and he’s really nice.” Leilani explained, swinging forward and back on her heels. “I think he’s just confused.”

“I’m not confused!” I lied, harshly. I was extremely confused, in all honesty. I didn’t know my purpose anymore, and even if I  _ did _ pursue my old purpose, I had  _ no _ idea where my counterpart had gone. Without a purpose, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, who I wanted to be. I was… supposed to be bad? It felt right, it felt comfortable, but… was that from a true wish or a comfortable familiarity I was too afraid to leave? That might’ve been ridiculous before, but I began to realize that the worst of human emotions had taken its place in my heart, and I had no idea what to do.

“You look confused,” Ghada commented.

“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover!” I felt deja-vu as I said it.  _ Did anyone around here have common sense? Or at least eyes to see me with? _

“You told me that before, but I don’t know what it means.” Leilani looked at me curiously as I picked up the boomerang, seeing how heavy it was, how it felt in my hand.

“It means you shouldn’t assume things of people. I could be a big bad wolf, for all you know.”

“No you can’t, you’re Lint.”

“Lin.”

“I said that. Anyways, you’re good. I’m smart, so I know that’s true.”

I snorted, tossing the boomerang up once for good measure, before leaning my arm back. I could see the look of horror on Ghada’s face as things began to go in slow motion. I let the boomerang roam wild. I had expected a small toy, of course; nothing more than a child’s toy.  _ Maybe _ it’d break something, and  _ maybe _ I forgot to take that into account, but none-the-less, I expected nothing absolutely  _ awful _ . But, maybe I should take my own advice; don’t judge a book by its cover.

The boomerang carried with it a magic; wind followed it in swirls as it traveled around the room. Ghada yelled as she took cover behind the counter, and the man from before screamed as he rushed out of the room. Things around the room got caught in the gales, objects from shelves raining like a storm, shelves shaking as the boomerang made its round. Leilani watched with sparkling eyes as I didn’t so much as flinch, catching the boomerang in my hand and tossing it up again in one smooth movement.

I looked at Ghada, who rose from behind the counter with a disheveled headscarf and wide eyes, “How much for this?”

“What the hell was that?!” Ghada exclaimed, hopping over the counter again to look at the boomerang in my hand, that was obviously more than meets the eye.

It certainly looked simple enough. No fancy designs, no pretty gem, no eerie inscription. I shrugged. “It’s a boomerang.”

“Thanks, I knew that,  _ smartguy _ .”

“ _ That’s _ a step up from Lint.”

“Lint’s better,” Leilani retorted.

“Anyways,” I ignored Leilani’s comment, “Can I take this? I like it. Could come in use.”

“What are you planning on doing with that?” Ghada crossed her arms, judging me in a way that felt  _ much _ more fitting to me, “Some sort of troublemaker from space, are you?”

Troublemaker. I had to say, I liked the sound of that. It was so different from  _ him _ , it made my human heart race and head spin with such  _ emotion _ . I could run a mile if  _ he  _ wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t be him. I’d be me. I grinned. “Yeah, you’re half right.”

“Yeah, he’s from space,” Leilani nodded hurriedly.

I sighed and clicked my tongue, “No, Leilani, I’m not. I’m a troublemaker! I’m bad!”

Ghada shook her head with a  _ tsk tsk _ , waggling a finger at Leilani, “You had to get yourself a bad boy, huh, Lei?”

“Boys are always bad,” Leilani reasoned.

“Oh, so Lint’s just  _ worse _ .”

“Oh please, it’s  _ Lin _ .” I rolled my eyes. “You’re not clever using a  _ child’s _ insult, you know.”

“What do you know, space boy?” Ghada waved her hand in a shooing movement, “You ought to get out of here, before you drive away anymore customers.”

“The boomerang?” I asked before Leilani could tug me out.

“It’s free! I don’t want it! Witches are all magic and curses and my family wants none of that!”

Witches, huh? I kept a mental note of that as Leilani lead me outside the shop. The man from before was nowhere to be seen, but before I could think too much of it, Leilani had lightly hit my wrist. It hadn’t hurt, but by instinct, I touched my arm where she hit me, feeling offended, “What was that for?”

“Don’t be bad!” Leilani scolded me, “Bad is bad.”

“It was pretty fun when I used that boomerang.” I grinned, waving the boomerang in the air slightly.

She crossed her arms, “Ok, that was fun, but you can’t be bad, ok? You’re not bad. You like having fun.”

“You really think I’m not bad?”

“I know,” she answered, and not a drop of doubt was in her eyes.

I laughed. “I don’t. Show me back to your house, will you? I’m feeling tired, and my wounds hurt.”

“Ok. But you have to promise me something, ok?”

I raised an eyebrow, “What’s that?”

“Promise me first.”

“No deal, kid,” I shook my head, crossing my arms, “You gotta tell me first.”

She tapped her chin, then shook her head, “Ok, then I won’t tell you  _ yet. _ But I’ll ask again later.”

“And I’ll give you the same answer.”

“Nah.”

She skipped ahead. As I followed her, I begun to wonder if this kid knew something I didn’t, but I knew that was ridiculous. She was just a kid. That was it. A silly, young, idealistic kid who wanted to believe every wolf she saw was a fluffy dog.

But did I  _ want _ to be a wolf? How did I still not know? It seemed  _ pretty  _ obvious. I wanted to be the opposite of my counterpart. Or… I was supposed to be. I think. I looked down at the boomerang, wondering what had happened, and how I felt, and what I wanted to do. Was a troublemaker the same as I was before? I made  _ trouble _ , being a non-sentient creature trying to kill the Hero of Time, but was that even  _ close  _ to using a boomerang in a shop? Humans had such weird views, such weird morals, so much  _ identity _ . How was I supposed to separate all the things I wanted to do and didn’t? How was I supposed to tell if I was supposed to be good or bad? There was a lot of things my counterpart wouldn’t be, which was more to choose from, more decision, that I certainly did not need. All these emotions got all mixed up along the way. I couldn’t keep track of them.

I almost missed the feeling of not having to think. Having no words to me, no name to my face, nothing. I almost wished for the dead tree, the dead fog, the dead mind. But I decided that I didn’t miss it really, and with slight pain, I made my way back to Leilani’s home.

 

\---

 

Zelda stared into the mirror, seeing not herself but a middle between herself and Shiek. Her blonde hair twirled out a little from under her hood, and she let her bangs flair out and hid her mouth behind a mask. She wore much simpler clothing, something easier to run around and fight in, and something darker, so it was easier to hide during the night. She’d need that, at least, for this night.

She looked down to see the ocarina, lazily placed at the corner of the vanity, to be forgotten, even if she could never push away the memories associated with it. Seven years… seven years had made her distant, and even harsh, but she picked it up, remembering the kind hero, and the gentle memory of letting her worries go to him of the visions of Ganon, of the castle falling apart, of  _ everything _ . Back then it was just nightmares. Just nightmares. She still tried to make it feel that way, but it was too real. The only difference…  _ he  _ was gone. It was the right thing to do. She wouldn’t go back and undo it. But at the same time, she wanted it all back, and she wished she could change it all and go back herself. Erase all of this.

Why was  _ she  _ stuck here anyways? Why did she have to be the one to deal with all of this alone? Why did she have to deal with the haunting image of Ganon’s pig face, the castle crumbling, her father dead, and everyone around her disappearing to take care of the rest of Hyrule? It was unfair. It was unfair, and she wasn’t about to sit around and mope about it.

Rope and her window. It was all she needed, having muscle from seven years of training and an endless amount of courage against things such as heights. There wasn’t a lot to tie it to that wouldn’t break, but at least Zelda was fairly light; she pushed her dresser against the door and then tied the rope to her bed’s wooden post, knowing that even if it moves and splinters, it’d last long enough for her to get to a safe falling distance. It wasn’t Hyrule castle, anyways; there wasn’t a lot of distance from her window and the ground in this safe house, that was her home until they had figured out a plan for the new castle. She almost left with nothing, but she saw the ocarina out of the corner of her eye once more. Without hesitation, she snatched it and tucked it into her small bag of necessities before grabbing the rope and scaling the side of the wall.

The night was cool, the wind a welcoming feeling against her skin as she got nervous and began to sweat. She didn’t know where Impa would be, and she knew she was no chance for Impa, who taught her everything she knew. That was her only obstacle, and she had no plan for it. She would only have to hope that Impa wouldn’t intercept her. She took in a deep breath of relief when her feet reached the ground, and at that point, she ran.

She ran, and ran, and kept running, through the alleyways of Castle Town to the the center and finally over the rickety new bridge, damp and creaking with every step Zelda took. Before she could take one last step onto Hyrule Field, she heard a voice.

“My Queen.”

Zelda panicked, believing it had to be Impa, her plan  _ had  _ to have fallen apart, and she turned around, ready to reason her way out with her wit when instead of Impa, she realized only Faiza stood there.

Faiza looked pretty under the moonlight, Zelda noted. Her black hair shone brilliantly, still neatly done up in a bun, still not a hair out of place. Her eyes were kind and gentle, but tonight, they were also sad as they looked up at Zelda. Faiza was always short, but in that moment, in that distance between the entirety of the bridge, Zelda felt like she was just an inch taller than her. Just enough to make this awkward.

“Faiza,” Zelda greeted back.

She laughed painfully, “What are you doing out so late, Queen Zelda?”

It sounded so foreign. Zelda shook her head, “I’m Sheik now, Faiza. Queen Zelda’s asleep in her room.”

“I’ll have to report this to Impa, you know.” Faiza tilted her head, smiling, but sympathetically, “It… will take some time. I’ll have to find her, and we’d still have to figure out where you’re going, and how far you’ve gotten… and you’ll probably call for Epona, won’t you?”

Zelda blinked as Faiza mentioned something she hadn’t even thought of. The Hero’s horse. Zelda hadn’t planned on bringing a horse, but she did wonder if she could find the horse and take her with her. She didn’t know of her song, of course, the Hero hadn’t exactly told her as they ran from the crumbling castle. Didn’t make for good small talk in life-or-death situations. He didn’t talk very much at all.

“Why are you helping me?” Zelda asked.

Faiza shrugged, and for once, Zelda watched her perfect demeanor crumble. She looked so tired, about ready to collapse, and Zelda began to walk toward her, feeling something hurt in her as she saw the pain flash across Faiza’s face. “I… I just want you to be happy, my Queen. I know it’s wrong to let you do what you want, and it’s selfish, but… I can’t stand to keep you here if you’re going to be unhappy. Besides… you’re doing something for the kingdom. If someone can find these followers and stop them, it’s you.”

Zelda, as she finally reached Faiza’s small body, couldn’t find it in herself to say anything. She was blank for a moment, looking down at the kind, tired advisor, wondering how much conflict this must’ve been for her. Finally, she found all she could do was throw her arms around her round frame, holding her close. She found Faiza smelled faintly of lavender, and she hugged her closer for a moment, wanting to remember the feeling. Faiza was too shocked to hug back, and Zelda quickly backed up and hopped away, embarrassed.

“I’ll see you soon, Faiza,” Zelda whispered.

“Be safe, Zelda,” Faiza whispered back. “I… I care about your safety.”

She nodded, noticing how just as her cheeks grew warm, Faiza’s grew red also, and she smiled behind the mask. “Then you’d better be safe, too. Make sure the kingdom won’t fall apart while I’m gone.”

“That’s my job even when you  _ are  _ here.”

Zelda snorted as Faiza laughed, and for once, Zelda felt warmth through her whole body, felt happiness peak from within her heart. She suddenly wanted to stay, talk with Faiza, get to know the advisor she hadn’t realized she got along with so much before, but she had made her decision. The Queen was in Castle Town, but Sheik had a job.

“You’d better go tell everyone you have no idea where I am.” Zelda stepped back hesitantly once more.

Faiza did the same. “I suppose I should. Promise me… promise me you’ll be safe out there, ok? Before I go?”

Zelda laughed, waving a hand dismissively. “I’ll be fine, Faiza. I know you haven’t seen a lot of me outside of royal duties, but I know what I’m doing. I can fight. I can do this.”

“Promise me, then.”

Zelda smiled, “I promise you, Faiza, that I’ll come back a better Queen.”

Faiza clasped her hands together, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, “Go get ‘em, Zelda.”

Zelda ran into the night, disappearing from Castle Town, with a newfound energy. The Ocarina tapped against her thigh as she ran, a reminder of all the things that followed her as she left. She had a lot to fight for. And she wouldn’t lose.


	3. Trial and Error

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark continues to learn how hard it is to be human. Zelda takes matters into her own hands. Along the way, somehow, these two things seem to overlap.

I awoke to the strange sensation of something rocking me back and forth. Though it was only slightly, it still woke me, and I groaned as I pushed the tiny hands off my body.

“Lint! Lint! Wake up! Mama said I don’t have to work today! C’mon, wake up!”

“I’m  _ up _ ,” I told her, sitting up and rubbing my eyes, “Unlike some people, I can be a morning person. Sleeps a waste of time, anyways. What do you need, kid?”

Leilani grinned up at me, swinging her arms back and forth, “Mama said she doesn’t need any extra help, so I can play with you today!”

I raised my eyebrows curiously, “Play?”

“Yeah! I’ll get my toys, and you can bring your boomerang. You could even show me how to use a sword!” Her voice suddenly hushed, “But don’t tell mama, she’ll get  _ real  _ mad. She don’t want me using weapons, so I just get to hold the pitchfork.”

I rolled my eyes, “I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

She giggled, waving me over, “Get dressed! I’ll wait at the door. You can bring some bread from the counter if you’re hungry. I’ll bring my favorite toy!”

She ran off, her chubby figure disappearing around the doorway. I let out a huge breath, annoyed with how much this little girl treated me like her  _ toy _ . Surely even Thema could see I was not a friendly little dog for her daughter to play with. Then again… Thema was never really  _ around _ . I wondered, for a moment, how things must’ve been for Leilani before I came. Was she really… so lonely? I blinked, wondering how exactly being lonely must feel like. I don’t think I felt that way when I was created in the water temple. I don’t know if I knew half of what I was feeling when I was first brought to life as a human. But something inside me hurt when I thought of Leilani feeling that way. I spotted my old clothes, Hero’s clothes but dipped in shadow, fixed and cleaned. I slipped on my tunic wordlessly, trying not to think about feelings and morals.

With a last look into the mirror, I grabbed my boomerang and sword and left the room. I entered the small front portion of the house, that was somewhat familiar to me now. The tapestries were something handmade, I noticed, and there laid unfinished knitting by the small couch in the living room. Books laid out lazily on the table, and a fireplace sat here, too, though it wasn’t currently burning. The kitchen looked like any other kitchen, and the floors of every part of the house was adorned with rugs of all sort of designs. I grabbed bread from the counter and joined Leilani at the front door, taking a big bite out of the loaf. I noticed she held an instrument in her hand, and nothing else. Her favorite toy was an instrument?

“You look so cute!” Leilani exclaimed, mouth wide open, “Your old clothes were all reddish and gross before, I didn’t know they were so cool looking. Your hats funny, though.”

I unconsciously reached back to touch my hat, feeling an odd doubt in whether or not I liked the look of it on my head, “It’s a hat. It’s just a part of my look.”

“It’s like a flag! I like it. Maybe we can tie it to a stick and pretend to lead an army!” She held her hands up to her mouth and imitated a horn best she could, though it only resulted in sounding like a dying animal.

“It’s a hat, not a flag,” I told her.

“Hat, shmat. Things don’t just have to be what they are. You can use them for all kinds of stuff. I bet we could catch bugs with your hat,” she mused aloud as she opened the door.

I followed her with a bitter taste in my mouth, “Are you just planning on ruining my hat? Do you dislike it that much?”

“No! I like it! That’s why I wanna use it for a lot of things,” she giggled as she ran around the corner of the house, opposite from the path to the village. I jogged after her as she continued, “Sometimes, people just love things different ways. You like to wear it. I wanna put worms in it.”

“What if I put worms in your  _ guitar _ , hmm?”

“Well you can’t,” she turned around to grin mischievously up at me, “Because I don’t have a guitar! This is a ukulele!”

She certainly got me there. I laughed, “A ukulele? Suppose it’d be harder to stuff worms in there, then.”

She hugged the ukulele close to her body, “You can’t though. It’s special.”

“So’s my hat.”

“Did you get your hat from your papa?”

My smile fell. I scratched my neck awkwardly, “I don’t…  _ have  _ a papa.”

Leilani gasped, looking up at me as if I had just told her my family had been murdered brutally just the other day. She took my hand gently into hers, and told me very seriously, “I’ll be your papa then.”

I swiped my hand away from her, “What,  _ no _ ! You’re not old enough to be a papa, kid! You’re a kid!”

“But you need a papa, so I’ll be your papa,” she said, very set on this decision, “I’ll knit things for you, and play you lullabies, and I’ll tell you that you look pretty every morning.”

“Is that what your papa did for you?” I asked, genuinely curious as Leilani began to walk again, toward what seemed to be a barn. The ground around it  _ was  _ pretty spacious, so it would be a good place to lie around and practice with a boomerang and sword. It lacked a training dummy, but I suppose I wouldn’t need one to practice simple moves. Not that I could do anymore than simple moves--I was still healing.

“My papa did a lot of things,” Leilani sounded quiet and distant now, as if she was talking through water, “He really, really liked music though. We’d sit down by the barn, and I’d lie down and he’d play music on the ukulele for me. He started to teach me how to play, but then he had to leave. I never got to learn his favorite song, but it’s ok. He’ll just teach me when he comes back.”

Something in me hurt again, but I swallowed the feelings back and continued to talk as we climbed up the slight hill, “You’ll play for me then?”

“If you want!” Leilani grinned.

“I’m curious,” I admitted.

“I can sing too!” She giggled and jumped onto the grass, putting down her ukulele as she began to roll around in the green, “You should roll around in the grass with me, first. Papa always said it was good to get some laughter in before you played.”

I snorted. “Why would I roll around in grass? It looks stupid.”

“Stupid is a mean word.” She patted the grass beside her. “Don’t say something’s bad without trying it first, weenie.”

“Stop calling me weenie.”

“Then stop being a weenie.”

I rolled my eyes, but gave into the child’s will. I laid on the grass, and after a lot of time of bracing myself for the worst, I began to roll around with her. It was just embarrassment at first, thoughts of  _ why am I doing this  _ and  _ why did I think this was a good idea, _ but when she began to laugh, I began to laugh, too. When I let go of the idea of something being impossible for me, the idea that this wasn’t for me, I found that I  _ could  _ enjoy the simple things like this. There was a certain childish joy to rolling around in the grass that began to spread through my body, and I could only laugh as we both bumped into each other and stopped, the world around us spinning as we looked up at the sky, our lungs hurting as we couldn’t stop laughing. But it wasn’t a laughing fit, I noticed. I was genuinely laughing, and I couldn’t help it.  _ And honestly, I don’t think I mind. _

“See?” She crossed her arms, still heavily breathing from laughing so much, “Papa’s always right about things like this. He’s a fun guy. I hope you can meet him.”

“Maybe I’d learn a thing or two,” I smiled down at her, and to my delight, I watched her giggle and clap back.

“Here, I’ll play a song he used to play! It’s really fun and upbeat, and it’s mama’s favorite.” Leilani took the ukulele from behind us, putting the strap around her round frame and readying her small fingers on the strings, she looked up, and I noticed for once in my time with her, she looked truly insecure, “No making fun of me, ok? I practiced this a lot, and papa can’t help me and mama doesn’t like the ukulele anymore, so I don’t know if it’s ok anymore. I’m trying really hard!” She added.

That was somewhat of a big moment for me. It was such a small decision, and maybe in the end, it didn’t  _ really  _ mean anything. She was just a kid and I was just an adult, and maybe I could’ve said  _ no promises! _ and she would’ve just laughed. It seemed so small, looking back. But something in me took hold of my heart without any warning, and I found myself saying, “Don’t worry kid. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

And when she smiled, it felt like the  _ right  _ thing. I smiled too.

We spent the day lying down in the grass, listening to her songs. Though I brought my sword and boomerang, I found myself enjoying the quiet of the day. Leilani’s song stuck in my head, and though it had the clumsy notes of a beginner, something in it stayed with me. I closed my eyes and the wind played the song over and over again for me as Leilani strummed the ukulele at random, falling asleep beside me. There was a certain feeling to the quiet, the softness, the simplicity of the moment. Something that let all that anxiety from before settle, and let my heart beat, beat, beat at a gentle rhythm. The farm was a nice place to be, troublemaker or not, and I liked the grass, and I liked the wind, and I liked the way Leilani played and sang.

“I knew you’d like it here.” She giggled as she watched me force myself awake once more.

I blinked the sleep out of my eyes before scoffing, “Yeah, whatever.”

She giggled, and I closed my eyes again. The sun felt warm against my skin. The wind was cool. It felt… good.

 

\---

 

The pain was slowly edging away, with each hour, each day. The past few days consisted mostly of me sitting at the base of the barn, watching Thema and Leilani as they worked on the farm, taking care of their animals and crops. Wheat, to make bread, vegetables, and a pleasant orchard not too far from here consisting of oranges and apples. When I was well enough, Leilani had invited me to join her picking a few, before it got too cold and they’d all go bad. It was a little ridiculous, how weak plants were, from flowers to trees. To think they were so delicate that even a small wind could break their resolve.

“Stop calling things weak,” Leilani scolded me when I voiced my thoughts. “They’re just delicate. Delicate is ok.”

“Seems like a nuisance,” I had told her.

She crossed her arms, “I guess you’re a nuisance then!”

“I’m not delicate--or a nuisance! Why must you slander me so?”

“Then why are you always so defensive? Mama says when people are all mean and defensive they got something to hide or protect.”

She was too wise for me, for a seven year old. Still, I argued, “I’m not delicate.”

“Sure, Lint.”

“Lin!”

The orchard was just as simple as the rest of the farm. Wherever we went, green followed. I had thought that the moment I entered the orchard, I would be reminded of my counterpart, that I’d want to slash every single tree down to a stump, leave mayhem and chaos in my wake, but I found that I didn’t. I didn’t see him in every tree. I didn’t see him in the dirt trail that Leilani lead me on. I just saw trees, and the little fruits that grew on them. I saw a ladder leaning on one, and by that, a basket, that Leilani ran over to grab so we could pick a few oranges and apples.

I hadn’t known about eating, so nevermind the fact that there were different ways to eat different things. When she had handed me an orange and told me to taste it, naturally, I bit into the entire thing. Something that was a mix of bitter and absolute disgust mingled on my tongue, and I winced as I proceeded to swallow it down. Whatever juicy middle I had bitten into hadn’t made it through the overwhelming taste of the skin of an orange.

“You peel it!” She snorted as she leaned against the tree and laughed, “You’re supposed to peel it, Lint! How did you not know that?”

“You don’t peel bread!” I argued.

“Of course not. It all tastes the same!”

“I never ate an orange! I trusted you, kid!”

“Don’t be such a weenie. Just have an apple instead!”

Who could blame me for trying to peel the skin of an apple after that episode? When we returned to the farm, Thema waiting patiently by a tree, Leilani babbled on about how funny I looked when I bit into an entire orange, and Thema laughed, too. I could feel the heat on my cheeks, and I moodily munched on the apple I had begun to snack on. Traitors, all of them.

“Here, I made soup,” Thema waved me over, beckoning me to come closer to her and Leilani, as if I was a part of their  _ family _ . As if. “It’s my specialty, so maybe it’ll take the taste out of your mouth.”

“It’s reaaaaaaaally good, Lint!” Leilani bounced in excitement, holding out her hand.

I raised an eyebrow, “Why would you want me to shake your hand? We already know each other.”

“No, silly!” she giggled, then did the most amazing thing. She had grabbed my hand, and held it, as she had with her mother, nothing like when she had lead me around town, “I want to hold your hand. Best friends hold hands, because we’re like family.”

“We’re not related,” I told her, “And besides, you don’t need to lead me back to your house. I know where it is.”

“This isn’t to bring you there, silly,” she laughed, “It’s a thing people do when they like other people.”

“Why?” I found myself genuinely curious, after all, I was human now. I was stuck here to watch other humans. I was sure I would find out, one way or another.

The answer was too simple. She shrugged, “I dunno. It’s nice.”

I let my hand slip from her grasp. “Well, I don’t see a point in it.”

I was shocked to watch her shrug, and she replied, “That’s ok. Sometimes people aren’t touchy. But promise when I really need it, you’ll hold my hand?”

I found myself laughing just as Thema did, and I replied without thinking, “Sure, kid.”

The soup was warm, and it tasted like a forest, with herbs and roots mixed in. Thema smiled gently as she explained it’d help heal me, and I almost found myself laughing again. It’s been days, and instead of complaining about me mooching off their meager lifestyle, all the food they have and the clothes they gave me, they continued to give me  _ more _ . Why would they keep doing that? Could someone really ever be so genuinely  _ nice _ ? I suppose I already knew my answer as I ate until the bowl was clean, feeling better already, ready for bed.

That was, of course, until Leilani said, “This was papa’s favorite.”

The mood changed immediately. In moments I found Thema’s smile gone and her demeanor distant. She didn’t look either of us in the eyes, and Leilani puffed out her cheeks, looking like an annoyed pufferfish, “Mama, you never talk about papa anymore! I want to know how he’s doing!”

“I told you, Leilani,” Thema sounded really harsh now, which caught me off guard; she was always so careful with Leilani. “He’s not gonna keep in touch with us.”

Leilani looked down at the plate. Her expression had changed, I noted; it was angry, but it was sad, too. Her eyebrows were furrowed but her eyes were looking somewhere else. “Why not?”

“He’s… he’s still sick,” Thema lied between her teeth, tail tucked between her legs and ready to run from the table. “Why don’t you head to bed, Lei? Don’t worry about papa. He’s getting help, wherever he is.”

“Fine!” Leilani kicked herself off her chair, huffing and puffing the whole way up the stairs. I was startled when she slammed the door, and I stared at Thema until she finally looked up at me.

“So he’s traveling, is he?” I asked nonchalantly, which was definitely a mistake. Humans had delicate emotions. Just as I would lash out, so would others, I would begin to learn.

She groaned and clawed at her hair, muffled words coming from her mouth as she slammed her head onto the table, “Do you have any idea how to tell your daughter that her father’s gone  _ forever _ ? The father that knew how to take care of her?! Who sung her to sleep  _ every night _ ?! You tell me how to tell her, Lin! You tell me how to raise my own daughter, I dare you!”

I shrugged, “Tell her.”

Thema blinked, “Excuse me?”

“You tell her,” I repeated. “Why wouldn’t you? Why is it so hard?”

“That’s exactly why you don’t get it,” Thema rose from the table, her face twisted in pain, despite not having a single wound or scar on her body, I wondered why she was in such pain over something that seemed so simple. “Lin, she’s  _ seven _ . She’s lived on this farm her whole life, without ever having to worry about anything. I just… I just don’t want her to be hurt by this.”

I leaned back in my chair, scoffing,  _ still  _ not getting it, “Well, it’s happened. You can’t take that back. She may as well deal with it.”

“You don’t get it,” she repeated, shaking her head as she shoved bowls onto the counter, clutching the edges as she took deep breaths. “You don’t get anything, do you? You didn’t even think you’d need rupees out there, Lin. What makes you think you can get a  _ kid _ ?”

“I don’t,” I yawned, and stood from the table, “But it’s not my job to take care of a kid. So I don’t need to.”

Thema wiped at her face. Was she…? “I just thought… I just thought you were a good guy, Lin. I thought you could…”

“I could take his place? Not a chance.” I pushed in the chair and stretched. “I’m not here to make trouble for you and Leilani, but I’m not whoever her father was. For one, I can’t play ukulele. Whether I’m a good guy or not just doesn’t matter. He’s not here anymore. He’s gone. He’s dead. You  _ know _ you can’t replace him. You can’t hide that forever.”

“Then what do I  _ do _ ?!” she cried out.

I wanted to walk away. I really did. I was no miracle worker, and these emotions were all new to me; even now, I felt conflicted between disgust and remorse, empathy and boredom. I fought for a while, staring at her shaking form. I even had an urge to laugh. But I saw Leilani, again, in the features on her face, in the bounce of her hair, and I sighed.

“Do you want help cleaning?”

She stood there, quiet, eyes widening for a moment in shock. I could see her tearful eyes, her quivering shoulders, and her fingers tapped at the counter as she sniffled. This was heavy on her, something heavy that I could never understand. Not at that moment, anyways. I couldn’t lift it, I couldn’t figure it out, but I could help with chores. Not that I  _ wanted  _ to, but a part of me told me to. I was afraid it was my counterpart, but when I saw Thema nod, I felt like it  _ wasn’t _ . I didn’t feel him there. I didn’t feel anything but my own self. And I started to wonder what part of me that was.

“Thanks, Lin,” she whispered as I grabbed a rag from the table. “Just… don’t tell her yet, ok? I need… I need time. But I’ll tell her.”

“Mmhmm.”

She took a deep breath, in, and then out. Then she did something that shocked me, just as Leilani had shocked me. As I went to grab for a bowl, she threw her arms around me, for just a moment, and she squeezed so gently, and she felt so warm, and I could smell the grass on her skin, before she pulled away and said, “You’re a good person Lin. Don’t fool yourself.”

I wanted to retort, tell her I thought about stealing a canoe before, and that I wanted to get back at Leilani for making me eat an orange peel, but she had such a bounce in her step that made her look years younger, so I let it go. They’d think whatever they wanted to think, anyways. Being pigheaded ran in the family. I washed the dishes, and I cleaned the table, and I headed to bed. I just needed some rest, and everything would go away, and no one would expect anything else out of me.

 

\--

 

“I can’t believe you think cuccos are cute!”

“I didn’t say cute,” I looked the other way as I felt my cheeks grow red under the pressure, “I said I liked the way they look. They’re just pleasing to look at. They’re very round, and have big weird eyes and a tiny pointy beak, and look all soft. It’s just a good form.”

“You think cuccos are cute,” Leilani giggled. “You don’t have to hide your delicate side, Lint!”

“I’m  _ not  _ delicate, and my name’s  _ Lin _ !”

“Sure, Lint.”

Once my wounds had really begun to heal, Thema began to send me out on errands with Leilani. It was often just something to get from the general store, though once we passed by Ghada’s. She wasn’t too happy to see me back (much to my delight), but Leilani got her to come around and allow me to look around for a few things. In a way, I preferred the simple things on the way there and back, from playing I Spy with Leilani to making faces at Ghada through the window (to which she threatened to throw her shoe at me).

One day, we couldn’t find a simple mushroom anywhere in the shops, from healer to the odds and ends of Ghada’s canoe shop. Apparently, they were growing further and further south, to the point where it was annoying to get without a horse. Leilani had voted we give up and soak our feet at the tiny little pond by the village, but I had a better idea, spotting the Horse Ranch not too far from the entrance to Hyrule Field.

“Why don’t we get a horse?” I asked.

Leilani shook her head, “They’re too expensive. They’re just for the really rich people who tour here sometimes when they visit Lake Hylia.”

I scratched my head, then suggested, “Why don’t we just borrow one?”

“What do you mean, borrow?”

I grinned, “I mean, we take one out to Hyrule field, snatch a mushroom or two, and bring it back.”

“Isn’t that stealing?” she asked.

“Not if you bring it back,” I pointed out, “Then we’re just borrowing, right?”

“That makes sense!” She gasped, “I wish I knew that earlier! That would make life soooo much easier!”

I snickered as I followed her to the Horse Ranch. It wasn’t really all that great for such an expensive place; the barn looked almost identical to the one Thema had, and the grass around it was a sadder yellow than anywhere else. The fences were rickety, at best, and even the horses looked tired of being there.  _ We’re doing them a favor. _

I was about to climb the fence to get the beautiful black stallion, all dark and sleek, when suddenly Leilani tugged on my tunic, leading me the entire opposite way.

“Look at that one!” She cried, pointing to a crevice in the fence from where she stood, “It’s so sad! C’mon, Lint, let’s take that one! I wanna take care of it!”

I looked over the fence easily, to see one of the saddest sights of my life. A brown horse that looked like it had lost all purpose, with sad wet eyes and a tangled mane. It laid on the ground, then got up, then laid down again, and it didn’t even bother walking over to interact with other horses. It just seemed content to stay there. Well, maybe content wasn’t a good word. It seemed to have no other choice.

I decided. “That one’s ours.”

“You think horses are cute, don’t you, Lint?” She giggled as I picked her up and placed her on the other side.

“Let’s focus on the task here.” I avoided the question as I hopped over the fence and approached the horse. At first, it ignored us, but as we walked closer, it rose to to its hooves, showing off its entire body to us now. These things were  _ powerhouses _ . They were like magic bottled up into one huge creature, and I reached out instinctively to pet it. It backed away at first, until Leilani took my other hand, placing something in it.

“A carrot?” I looked to her with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, there’s lots around here,” she gestured to the pile nearby, “I think horses like them.”

As I raised my arm to question her, the horse took a step forward, chomping the carrot in my hand. I was startled, almost dropping the carrot to the ground, but the horse bumped its nose against my hand, and I couldn’t help but chuckle, feeling something warm grow inside me like a sprout in soft soil. When I reached out to pet it, now, it let me, and I couldn’t stop smiling as it reacted to me.

“I think she likes you,” Leilani giggled, “Let’s go borrow her so we can get those mushrooms.”

“Right,” I coughed, stepping back like an embarrassed teen from his crush, and I grabbed the saddle from behind her and plopped it onto her back. Leilani grabbed the brush, trying to jump up and brush her hair. I kicked over a stool nonchalantly, to which Leilani got the picture and used it so she could reach the mane and tame it. With a bit of cleaning and gentle coaxing, the horse seemed reborn as one of the most beautiful, most powerful creatures to ever be made. I climbed up, then grabbed Leilani and plopped her down in front of me, making sure she held on tight.

“Is it because mama will kill you if I get hurt, and you’re afraid of mama?” she asked.

“I’m not afraid of Thema,” I muttered, “I’m just afraid of mothers in general.”

“So you’re afraid of mama.”

“Hold on, kid, show’s about to start!”

As I began with a small kick, the horse whinnied and threw itself back. I held on for dear life as Leilani let out an excited yell, and the horse bounded forward into a gallop, right towards the fence. It must’ve quite a sight to anyone watching, a small girl and her new housemate, bounding out of the expensive but  _ horribly  _ managed Horse Ranch and into town, owner screaming after us. Oh, if only my counterpart could see me now, spoiling his good looks and talent for little things like this. The wind felt good, pushing at my face as the horse galloped out of town and into the bright light of Hyrule Field.

“This was the best idea  _ eeeeever _ !” Leilani screamed as she threw her arms up in the air. I laughed with her as we galloped along little streams and through the sparse amount of trees. There was something so new, so different, so  _ fresh _ , about riding around on a horse. Even as the horse slowed to a trot, and we began to look for the mushrooms from atop the saddle, it was like sitting on the hill at the barn and letting things just  _ happen _ . It was quiet. It was peaceful. It was nature.

Leilani pointed towards a tree and yelled out, “I spy a mushroom that we need!”

“Good eye, kid!” I patted her shoulder before sliding off the horse, gathering just a few and placing it on a pouch on my belt. It would’ve been such an easy task, really, if they just had a horse. I didn’t see why the horse man didn’t just do it himself.

_ Look at you. You’re starting to wonder why people  _ aren’t  _ nice! Who  _ are  _ you? _

“Lint, are you ok?” Leilani watched as I pulled myself back onto the horse, moody. “Do you need some cheering up? I can sing a song.”

“I’m fine, kid.”

She didn’t seem satisfied, “But you looked so sad. You don’t have to be shy. I can help you. People need help sometimes.”

Did Thema really teach her all these things? Maybe with Ghada. I sighed, “How could you possibly help me?”

“Let’s name the horse,” she decided, “So then you can say you have two friends.”

_ Ah yes. My two friends, the godless seven year old and the depressed horse. _ I replied, “You name her.”

Apparently, she had already done some thinking. She only took a moment as I turned the horse back towards the way we came, and she patted its neck and said, “Catherine. Her name’s Catherine.”

Huh. Catherine. “Well. I said you could name her. Catherine it is.”

Leilani whooped as we made our way back home. Her home, I mean. It was getting late, and I could feel Leilani begin to grow tired, leaning back onto me and yawning. In a way, it was comforting. She was warm, and alive, and happy, and for some reason, it made me smile. I didn’t really know why. It wasn’t like I cared about her. But I still smiled, as we trotted back into town.

 

\---

 

“I can’t believe you stole a  _ horse _ !”

I looked up at Thema, my legs up on the table and my hands fiddling with the end of my tunic. “We borrowed it.”

Thema stared at me in disbelief. “Just because you brought it back does  _ not  _ take away from the fact you stole it!”

“It has a name,” I muttered, “It’s Catherine.”

“I don’t care!” Thema yelled, and I winced, “You just told my daughter that stealing a horse is  _ okay _ ! Do you know how  _ terrible  _ that is?! Don’t you realize how important to her you are?! You’re her  _ role model _ ! I don’t care what you choose to do in your free time Lin, but  _ don’t  _ let it effect my daughter.”

I glared at her, “Then why don’t you all just admit I’m a nuisance? It’s not my fault your daughter chose me as her best friend. I just landed here on coincidence.”

“Do you  _ want  _ to leave, Lin?” She gestured toward the door in a huge flair of her arms, “Because the doors  _ right  _ there.”

I considered it. I really did. It was entirely true. I had mostly healed up, to the point where I could ride a horse. I had all my stuff. There wasn’t anything tying me down now, besides rupees, but need be, I could try and find anywhere else to stay and work, if I  _ really  _ wanted to leave. But then I thought of Leilani.  _ Don’t you realize how important to her you are? _ Was that really so true? Could I have such an effect on this seven year old that her mother is scolding me like a child? I bit my lip, thinking of the cuccos in the barn, and poor Catherine and her tangled hair, and the taste of the apples in the orchard, and I sighed. I already knew my decision, didn’t I?

“I’m sorry, Thema.” I sat up, rubbing my head in disbelief at my own words. “I’m an idiot. I don’t understand kids. I don’t understand a lot. Hell… I don’t understand myself.”

I heard an odd thing come from her throat. Laughter. I looked up, curious, only to watch her walk over and sit down beside me, a sympathetic expression pointed directly at me. She spoke, “You’re just as lost when you first came here, huh?”

“Maybe even more so,” I admitted.

“Lin… you don’t…” she shook her head and laughed again. “We all make mistakes. I guess some of them are just saying the wrong thing, and then you steal horses, but… I know you got that horse to get the mushrooms. I know you did that… that for me. For  _ us _ . So… if there’s one person I trust in this world, it’s Leilani, and if she trusts you, then… You’ve helped a lot, and I think with the right guidance, you could be a good person. You really can. Don’t let go of that. I don’t know what’s happened in your life, but don’t let whatever happened get the best of you. You’re not a nuisance. You’re a person.”

I sat there, staring at my hands. I wasn’t a shadow. I wasn’t see through, and I wasn’t someone else. Not anymore. Ever since I woke up, ever since I began to feel the bite of cold and the soft touch of warmth, I was something else. I was human. I was… me, I guess. But I didn’t  _ feel  _ any good. I wasn’t anything like my counterpart. Even if I was good, I’d never be as good as  _ him. _ And if I was bad… what would I accomplish? Would I ever find peace again like that? Choices, choices.

“What do you do, Thema,” I began to ask, “When you were born to be the shadow of someone else? When… when you’re just supposed to be everything bad and they’re all good?”

She reached out to touch my shoulder, then stopped, “Lin, I… I don’t know your past. I don’t have the right to know it, unless, you want to tell me. But you choose your own path. And I know that’s been hard for you already, but this… this person that you’re a shadow of… it doesn’t matter what he is or isn’t. It just matters what you are. Who cares if you’re the same or different? You’re a different person, Lin.”

I chuckled, shrugging, masking my vulnerability, “Thanks, Thema.”

I gasped when she ruffled my hair, and I watched her walk away as I held my head in somewhat of a panic. I hadn’t expected that all. It was like… like people did with Leilani. It was… affectionate. She laughed at my reaction, “You always get quiet when you get a heart, don’t you? No one's gonna kill you for being nice, you know.”

I watched her walk upstairs, and I scowled and scoffed and shook my head. As if it was just  _ that  _ easy. Even if I were to begin to accept my human feelings… where would I  _ begin _ showing them? And what if in the end it just wasn’t good enough? 

I sat on the couch, thinking.

 

\---

 

Ghada was a good person. She would threaten me with her shoe and hold up wards as if I was a demon for a joke, but when she saw Leilani, she turned into a sister, and with customers, she was the kindest manager a person could ask for. So, despite our lack of affection for each other, she still gave a free boat ride to me too, when she had offered one to Thema and Leilani. I wasn’t really surprised.

“I figured with all the running around you two have been doing,” she smiled at me and Leilani, “And the endless work on your farm,” she shot a look to Thema, who indeed never rested until the work was done for the day, “You’d want a break. So whenever you guys are ready, come over to my shop, alright? I’ll set you up at Lake Hylia.”

“This is so kind of you, Ghada,” Thema laughed as she held a hand to her heart, sounding as if tears could come to her any moment, “I really haven’t stopped working since Kapua…”

“Yeah,” Ghada stopped the moment from growing awkward with a wave of her hand. “No worries. That’s what my shops all about. It’s a beautiful day, so just put down the pitchfork will you? And  _ no  _ boomerangs,” Ghada shot me a glare.

“Excuse me?” Thema raised an eyebrow, looking to me.  _ I hadn’t told her about that. _

“It’s nothing,” I said quickly. “Just thank the lady.”

Thema nodded hurriedly, “Of course! Thank you, Ghada. As always, you’re kind to us in ways we can never repay.”

“Just seeing Leilani’s young little face fills me with joy.” Ghada looked up at me again with disgust. “I could do with less of yours.”

“I’ll make sure to wear a mask next time,” I leaned against the doorway of the home, sarcasm dripping from my words.

“If you stole another horse, bet you could get a nice one from Castle Town.” She snorted, then pet Leilani’s head. “Happy times, Lei.”

“You bet!”

The two waved at Ghada as she left. I simply watched, leaning against the doorway and watching her skirt bellow out like a cloud. What an odd woman.

“Have you been to Lake Hylia before, Lin?” Thema asked me as she grabbed her wide brimmed hat from the coat hanger.

_ I came out of there _ , was my initial thought, but instead I answered, “Yeah, never did much in it, though.”

“It’s a beautiful place,” She mused as she got a coat for Leilani, who held out her arms to let her mother help her dress, “It’s one thing to see it, but when you’re out in a canoe and you just get to see the whole lake and the sky and hear the water… oh, it’s just what I need after this week…”

“It’s the best part of living here,” Leilani grinned up at me, before grabbing her mother’s hand and practically dragging her out of the house, “Let’s go! Let’s go!”

She practically bounced her whole way to the shop. It really was a beautiful day to be out. A perfect balance of sun, wind, and warmth. In a shocking display of kindness, I helped Ghada carry the two canoes to the gate by Sunpost Village, that lead to Lake Hylia. When we arrived there, placing the canoes down and soaking in the sun, I realized how completely different Lake Hylia was during the day. The night I had been reborn, it was like a haunted and empty ocean, a place you wanted to run away from, lest a hand creep up and pull you down to the bottom to drown. 

But here, right now, it was like a dream. The sky reflected the water, a beautiful blue with waves of white. The sun shined down and illuminated the shining surface of the water. Green followed us everywhere, from leaves to the grass that would tickle our feet when we took off our shoes and dipped our feet in the water. Ghada had been talking with Thema about this and that, so Leilani and I snuck off to sit down and relax at the edge of the shore. She giggled as she wiggled her toes into the soft dirt.

“I never got to see Lake Hylia like this until it rose up again,” she told me in her small voice that she used whenever she was remembering something, “I was too young. Ghada says I was born during all the bad, but I only started remembering during all the good. But I want to go back to the bad, because I’d get to see papa again.”

I bit my lip, tapping at the ground as I thought of what to say. “Well, you’ve got the now, which is a nice day and a canoe ride. Let’s just focus on that.”

“Yeah.” She wiggled her toes again, and sighed, “It’s too good a day to be sad.”

When Ghada and Thema finally finished talking, Leilani hopped up with a big grin, obviously ready to ask something.

Thema tilted her head, obviously already expecting a question, “We can go fishing another day, ok, honey?”

Leilani shook her head and giggled, “No, I wanted to ask if I could go in a canoe with Lint!”

I blinked. “What? Why would you want to go with me? I’m still in timeout for stealing a horse, you know.”

“That’s why,” She giggled and took my hand, leading me towards one of the canoes, “You’re my best friend, and I need to be a good friend and teach you the right ways of doing things.”

“You agreed yesterday to what I was doing.”

She huffed, “ _ Yes _ , but now I know better! We learn together, because we’re best friends.”

Thema could only sigh and shake her head with a smile as we climbed into the canoe together, Leilani having already made up her mind. “Be careful with her, Lin. You two have fun, ok?”

“I have to be careful with Lint, silly,” Leilani giggled, grabbing the oars from inside the canoe. “He’s the delicate one.”

“I’m not delicate!” I argued once more.

“He so is,” Leilani giggled as she splashed at the water, seemingly aimlessly. “That’s why I gotta teach him, mama! He’ll listen to me!”

“Don’t believe her!” I called out to Thema as I pushed us off, beginning to drift onto the water, “She’s slandering my good name!”

“You mean Lint?” Thema laughed out loud.

I grumbled as we made our way to the middle of the lake, but as we began to let ourselves drift, I found that peace once more, that same feeling of the grass on my back and wind on my face. Only now, it was that calming sound of water all around us, the coolness of it, the blue that reflected off rocks and the feel of it when I let my fingers dip in only just a little. It was new, but it was familiar, too. Leilani leaned forward as I grinned mischievously, splashing a little water onto her.

“Hey!” she yelled out, “What was that for, Lint?”

“For slandering me.” I told her with a snicker.

I gasped as I felt the cold water hit me like a wet fish. She snorted as she laughed, replying, “That’s for being a meanie beanie!”

I splashed her again, which made her scream with laughter now, kicking her legs out as I said, “ _ That  _ one is for calling me a meanie beanie.”

It was back and forth for a while, until it seemed as if the both of us had taken a dip in the water and drifted on our back until we were freezing cold. She didn’t care at all, laughing and holding her stomach as she just kept laughing and laughing. I smiled at her, and I was surprised to realize that I had grown so soft, so warm, on the inside, and my smile that had hurt so much at first had grown so gentle and fitting on my face. Leilani looked up at me, and she smiled back, her hair dripping wet, just like mine.

“You look like a fish.” She told me.

“Am I a pretty fish?” I asked.

She laughed and kicked her legs, “Of course! Though you look kinda like you need a bath.”

I laughed and pulled my bangs out from in front of my face, so I could see things better. I saw Leilani fiddling with her fingers, and I blinked, realizing quickly that she had moved on from the fun and onto something more serious. Those child moods. I pushed back stray hairs and asked, “Something you’re thinking about, kid?”

“I want you to promise me something.”

I sighed, “This again. Kid, I--”

“But you need to.” She looked up at me, her eyes serious, her mouth set in a line, “I’m your best friend, so you need to trust me, and I’ve always trusted you. So I want you to promise me something.”

I wanted to say that it was just a really nice day. That the feeling of water dripping from my face, my hair and my eyelashes, was refreshing under the glare of sunlight, and I just let caution go into the wind. But at the same time, I knew I couldn’t say that honestly. I was vulnerable. I was soft. Rain or shine, I was Leilani’s best friend. I made my decision. So I said, “Alright. I promise, Leilani.”

She held out her pinkie, and I raised an eyebrow before she explained, “It’s called a pinkie promise. It’s super, super serious. It means you have to stick to it, no matter what. When you wrap your pinkie around mine, then that’s the promise.”

How peculiar. It was comparable to a blood pact, but much more convenient. I held out my pinkie, and we wrapped them around each other in a promise. As we reached a shadow, I finally asked the question that’s been killing me, “What do you want me to promise?”

She smiled, “It’s easy. Don’t do bad. Bad is bad. You’re good.”

I pulled away from her pinkie, feeling like I just got conned out of all my money, “You just tricked me, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t do anything!” She giggled as I began to look upset, “You’re the one who made the promise. You trusted me, remember?”

Ugh. How infuriating. She was right. “Can I break the promise?”

“Why would you?” She grabbed at the oars again, as we approached the edge of the lake, “You’re already good. You just gotta keep being good.”

“But what if I’m not supposed to be?” the anxiety crawled back up again, and for once, I let that part of me show to Leilani, “What if… what if I was just made to be bad, and terrible, and that’s all I’ll ever be good at?”

“Nah.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Nah,” she repeated, then reached out to pat my hand lightly, much to my surprise. She continued, “No one’s made to do anything. There’s parts of us that are us, but we choose to be bad or good. And sometimes we’re not all that good at something, but papa always told me what mattered was  _ passion _ . Passion and love. And peace. Well, ok, he said a lot of things matter. But anyways, you don’t have to worry about what you’re supposed to be. Just be you! I like you just the way you are.”

The ride back was quiet. But as she ran to her mother and gave her a hug, and as I finally saw the two for the first time since I first came here share a moment, just a second of peace and love, I think I began to understand. It wasn’t all there yet. I wasn’t complete. I wasn’t even close to finishing this puzzle that was humanity. But I was getting somewhere.

“Let’s go swimming sometime, Lint,” Leilani giggled as her mother placed her coat around Leilani’s shoulders, looking comically big on her chubby little frame.

I grinned at the idea, and nodded, “That… sounds pretty fun. Let’s do it sometime then.”

“ _ No _ diving contests,” Thema warned us like her two children, ready to make trouble wherever they turned, “I don’t want either of you choking because of your stubborn pride.”

“You take all the fun out of it, Thema,” I joked, and Leilani squeaked and giggled. Like a family back from a day at the beach, we made it back home to dry up and bathe. That night was a gentle one, where the stars looked over me from the window and looking in the mirror didn’t send me into a crisis. When I laid down, I felt tired but in a good way, miraculously. The sheets engulfed me and the pillow was warm, and I could still hear all the laughter and the splashing and the waves, and finally I fell asleep, thinking of a home.

But, things never last forever. Humans were fickle little things.

 

\---

 

Epona hadn’t aged a day. When Zelda saw that horse’s mane, spiked and snowy, she felt a huge twang in her heart, wondering if the horse knew what had become of her master. Perhaps it was better that way. Zelda reached out, wondering if Epona would react to her. She didn’t know much about the Hero, or his horse for that matter, but the horse seemed skittish, even as Zelda simply entered the ranch.

“C’mere girl,” Zelda made little noises, calling for the horse like one would call a cat. She moved slowly, sneakily, as if sneaking past guards, but she was simply trying to keep herself from looking like a threat. Epona threw around her head, whinnying as Zelda got closer. “Shh, shh girl, it’s just me. I’m not here to hurt you.”

Epona, for a moment more, had looked ready to trample her to the ground. But when Zelda had reached close enough, the horse grew soft, and changed. Zelda wondered if it was simply herself, her own presence, that calmed the horse. She quickly saw that it wasn’t when Epona began to nudge her bag.  _ Was she hungry? I don’t have any snacks. Maybe there’s a carrot around. _

But the horse kept nudging her bag. She  _ really  _ wanted something in there. Zelda reached into her bag, pushing through combs and deku nuts until she found exactly what the horse was looking for. She let herself sigh as she pulled out the Ocarina, and her eyes began to water as Epona sniffed and nudged at the Ocarina. The Hero had been using it for so long, after all. Maybe it still smelled like him. Grass and soil and sunlight draping through the trees. Zelda was lost in thought and dreams, holding the Ocarina that connected her and this horse.

But she had somewhere to go. Keeping the Ocarina out, she saddled up Epona and brushed through her hair and found her a carrot, before hopping up herself. Horseriding had become second nature for a princess such as herself. After all, she couldn’t have been Shiek, hiding and running away all that time without a way to get around Hyrule so quickly. So when she nudged Epona and began at a trot before galloping high speed out of the Ranch, there was nothing new, nothing making her heart race, as they left the center of Hyrule and headed to the town near Lake Hylia.

As she galloped her way through the dark, twisted trees and gentle breeze, moonlight glinting off the harp on her back, she began to wonder about this town. After all, she hadn’t gotten the chance to actually ask about it. Being near Lake Hylia and not too far from Zora’s Domain, it must’ve been a pleasant little place, with tourism centered around the lake. She would have to hope she could find an inn there, but the town seemed extremely small. She wasn’t sure if it would be big enough for that. In that case, she’d have to brace herself for the inevitable--staying with a resident. Unwanted, but it would have to do, if she was dedicated to finding these criminals.

The only good part of staying in a small town was being easily hidden. Even if they recognized her, even if she had to resort to introducing herself as the Queen to get the job done, the town was too small to have anyone else take notice. So long as Impa was too busy in her town, Zelda could stay in Sunpost all she wanted.

The entrance to the town, affirmed by the small sad sign with the word  _ Sunpost  _ on it, was covered in bright trees, that still shined green under the moonlight. She truly felt like she was being welcomed by the plants and the trees and the grass, and in a way, welcomed by  _ him _ . In every branch and leaf she saw him, as if his body had left but his soul was left behind to guide her.  _ I can do this myself, _ she thought bitterly to herself,  _ and if you wanted to help, you should’ve stayed. _

It was silly, of course. She was the one who sent him back. She was the one who hadn’t given him a choice. But it’s not like he needed one. He deserved to be sent back, and Zelda couldn’t go back and change it, and in her heart she knew she wouldn’t.

Epona suddenly whinnied, throwing her front legs up into the air and nearly sending Zelda into the dirt. With a quick glance around, Zelda saw that there was a single wolf, who had looked like he’d been in a fight with a bear. Blood matted its fur, and its eyes squinted, bloodshot, mouth growling. It was rabid, it was ready for a fight, for blood. Zelda wasn’t panicked. Zelda wasn’t worried. It was a  _ wolf _ . No hero would fear a wolf if they were prepared.

Zelda jumped off Epona, throwing a deku nut to the ground and stunning the wolf. Zelda, used to the flash, threw herself forward, plunging a knife deep into the wolf’s fur and chest. The thing was in pain, and Zelda would be doing it a favor, putting it out of its misery. After all, wolves appearing in a small village like this… it was not only dangerous, but  _ suspicious _ , now that she thought about it. Perhaps they were not normal wolves. Looking down at the dying creature, Zelda wasn’t so sure about either. It looked like a normal wolf, but all the same, something seemed off about it as it bled. The shadow seemed to twitch, but it was likely the trees’ shadow above. Zelda turned to look at Epona, who threw shuffled her hooves, as if shrugging.  _ Don’t ask me. I’m just a humble horse. _

“Now I’m imagining conversing with a horse,” Zelda sighed and shook her head, grabbing Epona’s reins and leading her into the village. She was obviously a little out of it, and she wasn’t sure if it was trauma, exhaustion, or both. Either way, she was determined to find someplace to stay for her time here. Zelda looked to Epona, who had calmed down since they were first riding together. Zelda couldn’t be sure if it was because Epona was getting used to her, or simply the smell of the Hero on the Ocarina. As she tried to figure this out, staring deep into the dark eyes of the horse, a figure appeared at the edge of town with a pipe. He was about to light it when he spotted Zelda entering town.

“‘Ey, the hell are you doing out here?” The man finally lit his pipe, walking over to Zelda with a peeved look. “We don’t have an inn, so I’m afraid you’d better go looking elsewhere. I’d suggest finding a guard to escort you. What are you doin’ out so late?”

“I’m on a mission from Princess Zelda herself,” Zelda lifted the medallion she had around her neck, gold with the triforce engraved into the center, “I’m here to check out suspicious activity in this town. Is there anywhere I could stay, if not an inn, then?”

The man nodded at the medallion, understanding the situation, and began to think, “Thema’s got a weirdo already staying with her. Ghada’s got a full house with her family. Eliana’s not a people kind of person. I’ve got an extra room in my home, ever since the kids left. Wife would be happy to have you over. She’s been so sick, bet she’d love some young company. I’ve got a ranch, to keep your horse in while you're here.”

“Thank you, sir,” Zelda smiled and nodded, and followed the man into town. He lived by a small ranch of horses, thank the Goddesses. Zelda lead Epona into a stall, petting her gently as the horse got ready to sleep. In a last minute thought, despite the stupidity of it, Zelda grabbed the ocarina from her bag and placed it by the horse. Epona snuffled as she turned in her stall, as if some sort of thanks.

Zelda walked out, tired and sore from riding most the night, and was happy to follow the man to his home. It was fairly large, and colored a cream yellow, though it had faded greatly over the years. The stairs creaked with age as he opened the door, calling out, “Honey, some castle official’s come along saying she’s gonna figure out what’s goin’ on! Don’t know myself, but I suppose that’s for the castle to figure out.”

As Zelda entered, she saw a tubby figure, lying on the couch with blankets piled on her. She was a dark woman of large stature to match her large smile, even as she sweat and coughed. “What a dear… make yourself at home, sweetheart. I’d cook you up some soup, but I’ve been sick for a while now…”

“It’s quite alright,” Zelda laughed with a wave of her hand, “I’d really just appreciate some rest.”

“Your room’s on the right upstairs,” the ranch man explained, then held out his hand, “I’m Avi. The wife’s Nosipho.”

Zelda shook his hand, replying, “My name’s Sheik. It’s nice to meet you. I promise, I will be in and out before you know it. I won’t cause trouble.”

“Don’t worry too much about it,” Avi shook his head. “Just doin’ your job. I’m out in the ranch most the day, in case you need anything. The village is friendly, besides our healer, and I don’t know about the guy moved into Thema’s, but little Lei likes him, so he can’t be too bad, even if he stole one of my horses. Brought her back. Weird guy. But have any questions, you can ask just about anyone.”

“Thank you,” Zelda nodded, “Goodnight.”

“G’night, Sheik.”

Zelda walked upstairs, feeling relief wash over her like a waterfall. She had a place to stay. She was in the village. She had a horse and her essentials. As she entered the room, she instinctively reached for the ocarina, before remembering she had left it with Epona. She sighed. She  _ knew _ it was for the better. She knew she had to forget him. But the smell of him had lifted her spirits so much, for a moment. She wanted that again.

The room was barren. The bed had lace covers upon it, and a simple, white wooden vanity sat near the window. There was a painting of a small child, who Zelda could’ve assumed was one of Avi and Nosipho’s children. Same wavy hair as Nosipho. Same green eyes as Avi. Zelda sat at the vanity, tired but afraid of sleep. She tugged at her braid, letting her hair tumble down her shoulders, her back. She pulled down the mask on her mouth and sighed, letting her head fall forward onto her arms. She was on her own, now. This was her decision. This was her mission. And still, she let herself cry. It wouldn’t be easy. But then again, when were things ever easy.

She didn’t even make it to bed. She fell asleep at the vanity.

 

\---

 

I let out a huge  _ oof! _ as I felt something flop onto my stomach. Sitting up as quick as I could, alarmed, I found it was simply Leilani, laughing so hard as she lied there on top of me.

“Yes?” I raised an eyebrow.

“You should’ve seen your faaaace!” She giggled, pointing straight at my nose and shaking her head, “You always look so funny in the morning, Lint. I love waking you up. It’s always fun.”

I smiled and shook my head, moving my legs despite her still being on top of me. She laughed and threw herself off the bed before I dragged her with me, and she ran to the door with an excited bounce to her step, “There’s someone new in town! We should go meet them. You can talk about how you’re also from space, and make a new friend, besides me and Catherine.”

“How do you know they’re from space?” I asked, before shaking my head and furrowing my brows, “And I’m  _ not  _ from space.”

“Well, it’s just a guess!” Leilani shrugged, “But we can find out if you hurry up and put on your boots!”

“Alright! I’m coming.”

As Leilani waited there, I caught my reflection in the mirror. Looking at myself, I found more than ever that I looked like… like a  _ person _ . Expressions on my face. Life in my eyes. Even as I bent over to tug on my boots, I couldn’t help but glance over at the mirror to see how I looked, doing average things. It was still so new. Grabbing my sword and shield, I stood up, kicking out my legs before walking over to where Leilani waited.

As she hopped out of the room, she asked, “Why do you like that mirror so much? You look at it every morning.”

I shrugged, “I don’t have an answer for everything, kid.”

“That’s fair,” she admitted. “I don’t either.”

“You sure act like you do.”

“Actings different from what you are,” Leilani replied, “Just like how you always act all tough--”

“Not this again,” I rolled my eyes.

“It’s true!” Leilani exclaimed, grabbing bread from the woven basket left on the table, along with a note from Thema that I plucked from the freshly cleaned surface.  _ I’ll be working all day. Take care of Leilani. You’re free to have an apple or orange from the basket out front. Love, Thema. _

“I don’t act tough, I  _ am  _ tough,” I replied to Leilani, placing the note onto the counter as we passed and made it to the door, “I don’t go around saving stray kittens.”

“That’s because there are no stray kittens,” Leilani pointed out, pulling on her own tiny boots from the rug by the door. “I saw you with Catherine. You love animals too.”

“I don’t love anything,” I retorted, opening the door to let her scurry outside.

“You love me!” She giggled and watched me pluck an apple from the basket, throwing it up in the air once before polishing it on my tunic.

“Once again, I love nothing,” I looked at the apple, ready to bite it, before seeing Leilani’s face, filled with self doubt and childhood memories crushed. I panicked, offering the apple, “You want it?”

She gasped and swiped the apple from my grasp, her entire demeanor changing as she bit into it, “This means you love me.”

I scoffed, “How so?”

“You say stuff you don’t mean, and then you do stuff that’s the opposite of it. So I know you’re lying. Actions speak louder than words,” She beamed up at me before taking another bite of the apple, “I love you too, Lint. You’re like my big brother.”

“Why must you be so _affectionate_?” I sighed as we followed the path down to the village. There was no chance to wave to Thema this morning, so she was likely in the barn with the animals. The trees swayed, as if swinging to a happy tune. It was a lovely day, and Leilani obviously was brightened by this fact.

“I’m just like that,” she stated simply with a shrug, “Just like how people like you don’t really like it, I love it! I love hugs and kisses.”

I snorted. “Now who’s the weenie?”

She gasped, looking up at me with an offended look but amused smile, “You just called me a weenie! You get that from me. Now you’re on my cool list, Lint.”

“You have a list of cool people?” I questioned as we got to the sparse stepping stones leading into the town, “Wait--I wasn’t on it before?”

“Don’t worry about the past,” Leilani waved it off, despite my glare, “Anyways, I don’t have a real list. It’s just what I think of people. Ghada’s on the cool list.”

“Must not be that cool of a list, then,” I replied with a smirk.

“You’re both so mean to each other. You should make a peace treaty. They do that in wars.”

Just as I was about to reply, I spotted the most peculiar person making her way through town. I felt my heart wrench as I saw her, as if seeing her through someone else’s eyes, before returning to my own red ones. I was about to look away, thinking I must’ve mistaken them for someone else, when she met my eyes from where she stood. I blinked, just as she did. She was familiar and a stranger, all at the same time.

She began to jog over to where we stood, before skidding to a stop, fully taking in my appearance. I realized quickly exactly who she was, and what exactly she saw in me. I stood there, letting her process what was going on, the tricks her eyes played on her. It was almost painful, to watch that realization on her face. I only knew little inklings of my counterpart's life, the people he met. But this parting, I knew, was a bittersweet one. It was obvious just with the look on her face.

“I--I’m sorry,” She stepped back, her braid smacking against her back, “I--I thought you… you were someone else…”

“I get that a lot,” I told her, though it wasn’t strictly true--I hadn’t explored enough of Hyrule for that to be true.

“Hello pretty lady!” Leilani piped up, waving her chubby hand up and high to make sure the lady clad in dark purple could see, “I’m Leilani! This is Lint. He doesn’t know how to meet people and he’s from space.”

“It’s Lin,” I corrected automatically, “And I’m not from space.”

“Lin…” she looked at me, scanning every inch of my face, staring deep into my eyes. 

I squirmed uncomfortably under her stare, looking down and mumbling, “Got a problem, princess?”

_ Oops. _ That slipped.

She gasped, her eyes sparkling all of a sudden, as if some sort of light had been reborn in her. She leaned in and whispered, “Is… is that you? Could it… could it really be you?”

“You know Lint?” Leilani gasped.

“Lin,” I stressed, before turning to Zelda and shaking my head furiously, “And I’m  _ not  _ who you think I am, nor will I ever be. Let’s  _ go _ , Leilani.”

“Ok! See you later, person!” Leilani waved as I took her hand and pulled her the entire other way. I could see where this was going, and it wasn’t anywhere good.

Obviously, I couldn’t prevent what had begun. I let out a shout as strong, toned arms threw themselves around me, nearly lifting me up in the air in a tight hug. Leilani let out a loud laugh as this happened, not planning on helping out at all. I threw the princess’s arms away from my waist and turned, shouting, “What’s your problem?!”

“I know it’s you!” She suddenly pointed to my back, where I had my sword and shield, now that I was healed enough to use them. “The Master Sword… it’s in the Temple of Time, where it should be sealing Ganon… did you release him, just to come see me? What’s with this disguise? It’s not very convincing...”

“I didn’t do anything!” I shouted, before finding it in me to control myself, quiet my voice and level my breathing. I looked at her, trying to feel nothing as I saw the sadness creep up into her face again, “I’m not the Hero of Time you're looking for, Zelda. I’m not here for a petty reunion, and I’m  _ not  _ going to be here to take his place. A shadow’s got no business in his counterparts life.”

Zelda blinked and blinked again, looking down slowly. I could see her biting back tears and emotions, her hopes crushed, her feelings beaten back into her core. She was broken once and broken again. I could see her turning to stone before my very eyes, her expression turning from soft to harsh in seconds. Without warning, she grabbed my wrist and started dragging me away from Leilani.

“Hey--wha--?!” I tried to tug away from her, but her grip was made of iron. I was tripping over my own boots to keep up with her, “What are you doing, princess?!”

“Not only are you putting my position in danger by referring to me as that _ multiple times _ ,” she began, her voice low but harsh. “Not  _ only _ are you  _ impersonating _ a  _ hero _ , but if you are a shadow of him and magically so, then I have reason to believe that you are the one behind all of the recent disturbances.”

“What are you doing to him!” Leilani shouted, jogging to keep up with the two of us. She grabbed my hand, pulling me back. Though there was no force behind it, Zelda stopped, shocked by the defiance from the small girl. Leilani shouted, “Leave him alone!”

“He’s not who you think he is,” Zelda glared at him. “Lin? Really? Creative for a  _ shadow _ .”

I snarled, “Playing Sheik again, are you? Creative, for the princess. Couldn’t let go of the idea of finding him again, huh?”

“As if you’re better off,” Zelda replied, “Taking his  _ name _ .”

“There’s a hero named Lint?” Leilani asked, shocked.

“No,” I wrenched out of Zelda’s grasp, which had weakened when Leilani had grabbed for me, “There’s no Hero, period. Princess took care of that one.”

“Now you’re just asking for trouble.” Zelda shook her head. Her looks could kill. “How do I know you’re not one of Ganon’s followers?”

“You don’t. Good day to you.”

“Not so fast!”

I groaned as she plucked me by the back of my tunic, dragging me back towards her. “I’m not letting you go so easily. You obviously have something to do with this.”

“I really don't.” I struggled against her grip once more, feeling embarrassed as the tiny amount of people here passed with an odd look. Ghada was leaving her shop. Leilani stared hopelessly. I sighed, “Let go of me.”

“He hasn’t done anything!” Leilani was begging with Zelda now, scared for what might happen to me. It was odd, seeing her so upset by the idea of me leaving. I really meant something to her, in the end. All this time of doubt and curiosity lead up to this little show of affection. It warmed my cold heart, though I didn’t dare show it. I couldn’t let myself care. But the little amount of emotion in me still lived in my heart, and I couldn’t tear it out no matter how much I wished to.

Zelda glared at the back of my head, “If you’re not part of their movement, then prove it.”

I  _ really  _ didn’t care for this. “How do I do that, exactly?”

“Work for me.”

“Excuse me?”

She let go of the back of my tunic, allowing me to turn and cross my arms. She repeated, “Work for me. If you have the skills of the Hero, you could be a powerful ally, and I don’t have a team to take on these enemies. As powerful as I am, who knows what I may be going into. Someone working with me wouldn’t be so bad. Even if it’s you.”

“That’s not too bad!” Leilani gasped and took my hand, bouncing up and down, “You get to work with a princess, Lint!”

“Not so loud,” Zelda laughed, patting Leilani’s shoulder, “Call me Sheik around others, ok?”

“Ok,” Leilani smiled, still holding my hand. I let her, just for this time, since she looked so worried before, “You’re gonna make Lint good, right?”

“Right,” Zelda looked up to glare at me, I could only smile nervously in response. “I’ll make him so good, you won’t even recognize him.”

“I’m sure we’ll have fun, princess,” I said through gritted teeth.

She faked innocence, “Of course.”

It was going to be a long, long day.


	4. Like a Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda and Dark don't mix. Things are made worse when Dark gets himself into a situation even he doesn't understand. Zelda continues to doubt that Dark is anything but a villain. Leilani continues to be herself.

_ He looked so much like… like him. _

Zelda stood in Epona’s stall, brushing her hair. Despite the feud, despite the arguing, and despite the terrible outcome, something in Zelda’s heart kept tugging and tugging.  _ He… he’s suppose to look like him. His… his shadow? This is too much. I didn’t need to see him now, of all times. The hero was supposed to have defeated him in the Water Temple… when did this shadow of his return? It’s too suspicious. If the little girl wasn’t there, I would’ve apprehended him. Obviously, he’s acting well, if he’s involved. _

Epona snuffled, shuffling around her hooves as Zelda finished combing through her hair. As a last touch, she left a single braid hanging in her hair. With a smile, Zelda allowed the horse to nudge into her, and she laughed, giving her a quick hug. She tried not to cry, but it was hard, when she was alone and all these things weighed heavy on her. She stroked Epona’s neck, biting her lip. Perhaps this mission was too much for her. Then again, if this was, then where and when would something big be fine for her again, as  _ queen _ ? She had to overcome her fears. She had to fight her trauma. She… she had to…

She picked up the ocarina from where it lay. As the horse always did, she nudged it, snuffing as she got close. Zelda recalled a few songs, including her own lullaby, but thinking of him kept her from playing it. She couldn’t find it in her to think anymore of him.

She had told the shadow to meet her by the entrance tonight. After all, that’s where the wolves were, and if anything happened, she was at least close to town. She would likely be able to defend herself, especially if his wounds were still healing as he said, but she needed to be prepared. She checked her bag for deku nuts, and checked for her knives, before heading out, tucking the ocarina into her bag. It was time to finally have a real talk with this shadow.

The night, this time, was much colder, and the trees looked much sadder. There was no dance, no sway, as Zelda made her way by the sparse buildings of town and stepped on the little stepping stones by the trees. She thought of Hyrule Castle, the garden which she had met the Hero, and she nearly tripped, gulping down her feelings and thoughts. Hyrule Castle was gone. She looked up, over the trees, the mountains, looking for its tall spires. But Hyrule Castle was gone.

The shadow was on the dot. He stood by the entrance, leaning against a tree, arms crossed. He didn’t look ready for a fight, but still Zelda approached with caution. She wasn’t sure what being the shadow of someone entailed; only that it couldn’t bode well. She already knew he was nothing like the Hero; he talked already much more, and he was  _ much _ ruder. She would likely find out the other things unlike the Hero soon enough.

She stopped, a few feet away from where the shadow stood. He looked up at her, curious. She noticed, under the moonlight, his eyes were much redder; they almost glowed. Dark hair fell to the sides like  _ his _ , dark skin like  _ his _ , right down to the freckles from days playing out in Kokiri Forest, she would assume. Though, this shadow didn’t know that life. Did this shadow even have a life? A past, before now?  _ How lucky _ , she thought bitterly,  _ how lucky to have nothing to miss. _

“Good to see you can at least follow orders,” Zelda began the conversation, pleasantly. “Didn’t think you’d be so complicit.”

“I’m not the huge evil villain you think I am, y’know,” he pushed himself from the tree, throwing Zelda a dirty look. “I’m my own person. I won’t have people saying I’m a villain without my saying so. And right now, I’m not. So leave me the hell alone, alright, princess? I’m no hero, either.”

Zelda winced. “I’m not making you help me because you’re a hero or villain. It’s because I don’t know  _ what _ you are, or  _ why  _ you’re here.”

“Join the club.”

Zelda blinked, stepping forward, “Excuse me?”

He sighed, looking tired as he looked at Zelda again, this time not with hatred but a cold, empty stare, “I rose from Lake Hylia a little more than a week ago. Since then, I’ve been staying with Thema and Leilani. I didn’t have someone to guide me. I didn’t have someone speak to me in dreams of my purpose. I didn’t even have a life before then that let me know anything about who I was. I was just let loose into this world. I know I’m human now, at least, as far as I know. But why I’m here… hell, don’t I wish I knew too.”

Zelda watched him as he stared at his fingers, momentarily lost in his thoughts. Vulnerable, even. She was shocked to see he even had that ability. Perhaps being a shadow was more than just some sort of bloodthirsty creature. Was he an opposite, then? “Perhaps if you show your worthiness in this task, I can help you.”

“Why would you want to help  _ me, _ princess?” he spat out the words like venom. “I know you see him when you look at me. I know it hurts to hear him speak like this. Why would you want  _ me  _ around?”

“I don’t,” she denied, quickly, “I just know I need someone on this mission. The fact you're here shows me something. I’m not suggesting destiny--”

“You’re suggesting destiny.”

Zelda made a hesitant noise. “Well… ok, perhaps I  _ am _ , but it is a little odd you appeared here, and healed up, just as I arrived, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I would agree that just about everything about this situation is weird, but I don’t believe in destiny.” The shadow was utterly disagreeable, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. Zelda sighed and shook her head, rubbing at her temples.

“Is there anything that will convince you?” Zelda asked.

He took a moment to think, before replying, “No. Suppose you should apprehend me now, then?”

_ I’ll have a crying little girl on my case then. Wait. Maybe that’s it. _

Zelda dusted off the dirt on her boots nonchalantly, “I just mean the monsters will eventually leak into the village. Do you really think farmers like Thema and Leilani could fight them off forever?”

That was it. The hesitation in his next words were clear in his twisted face as he lied, “Why do I care?”

Zelda shrugged. “I could probably do this on my own. But Leilani… that girl... she really wants you to do good, doesn’t she?”

This hit the nail right on the head. He sighed and rolled his eyes and huffed and puffed before finally saying, “Look, I’ll help you, because goddesses, you’re  _ annoying _ .”

“Thank you,” Zelda rolled her own eyes, “Now, we have to agree on something.”

“This is already harder than I believed it to be.”

Zelda glared. “We need names to call each other by, because I’m  _ not  _ calling you Lin. Or Lint, for that matter.”

“That’s fine,” he was surprisingly agreeable about it. He shrugged, “What’s on your mind, princess?”

She thought for a moment, “Dark, I think. That’s good.”

He stood there, mouth agape. “Really? Dark? Not even like… like shadow, or something. Or even an  _ actual  _ name?”

“I never had a pet puppy to affectionately name you after, no,” Zelda mentioned sarcastically. “Besides, Dark is short and to the point. I like it.”

“I suppose I don’t have a say in it?”

“Being Queen comes with it’s perks,” Zelda grinning at the wilting figure, “And now, you call me Sheik whenever in public. I’d prefer privately too, to keep things from being personal, but I can see you’re fond of a nickname for me already.”

“You bet, princess.” He winked as he smiled.

“Don’t do that.”

“Got it, princess,” He coughed and looked the other way, “Anyways, any leads on this whole business? I didn’t know the wolves were involved with this.”

“You’ve had a run in with them?” She asked.

“Three, actually,” he corrected, “Nearly didn’t make it out alive. It’s where I got all these nice scars.”

“Don’t they hurt?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Zelda blinked, shocked at how unwilling he was to show any ounce of emotion. Then again, who was she to talk? She finally replied, “I don’t have any leads besides those wolves. I suppose we should seek them out, then. I met them by the entrance.”

“So did I.”

“Then tomorrow our search starts in this same place. By noon.”

“Of course, your royal highness. All my time is absolutely dedicated to following your royal ass around.” He bowed mockingly to her.

Zelda shook her head. “I don’t want to do this any more than you do.”

“I could argue that.”

“Don’t. Tomorrow, noon, sharp. Goodbye, Dark.”

He huffed, “Whatever, princess.”

Zelda only had one thought that night, that pleasantly replaced all the sadness with anger and annoyance. One single word.  _ Insufferable. _

 

\---

 

“Lint! Lint! Get up! You have an ointment!”

Despite the ability to wake up so quickly, it was always a shock to have Leilani shaking me awake so suddenly. I sat up, ruffling her hair before rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, “You mean an appointment?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, “An ointment.”

I laughed as I shifted out of bed, running my hands through my hair, “I have to meet with her, but that isn’t until noon. I would’ve woken up on my own, anyways…”

“But you gotta clean and train and all these other things! You gotta get up reaaaaaally early.” She pulled out my sword and shield from beside the bed, dragging it to in front of me, “Here you go!”

“Thanks kid,” I grabbed the sheathed sword, and then realized that Leilani had carelessly grabbed a  _ sword _ . “Oh, kid, you shouldn’t be grabbing at weapons like that. Next time, I can get my own stuff.”

“Why?” Leilani tilted her head, “I want to help you, Lint.”

“It’s cause you could get hurt,” I patted her shoulder, “I appreciate the help. But you’re not a minion.”

“No, I’m your best friend!” she giggled, grabbing my gauntlets from the vanity. For a moment, I saw what was actually on the vanity; sheets of music, it seemed, and little woven bracelets and necklaces. Leilani paid them no mind, however, handing me my gauntlets. “I don’t have to work for you to do things for you!”

_ Humans are weird,  _ I mused to myself, getting on my equipment before heading out to the front of the house. A note, as usual, was left at the table by the bowl of fruit, that was slowly diminishing.

_ Hey Lin, would you mind dusting the house and making some lunch? One of the animals are sick, so I’ll be busy. Give Leilani a kiss for me. Love, Thema. _

“What’s it say?” Leilani jumped up and down, hoping for a peek at the note.

“I’m going to be a little busy before noon, apparently. Also, Thema leaves a kiss for you.”

Leilani giggled, “Then you have to give me a kiss from her.”

“No I don’t. I’m not her.”

“It’s the  _ thought  _ that counts.”

“I thought actions spoke louder than words.”

Leilani paused. Finally, she admitted, “I know too many sayings. Still, you gotta give me a kiss, or it won’t be delivered!”

I grabbed the duster from the table, where Thema had left some fresh flowers. I suppose I should water those. Even if they’re weak, they made Thema feel better, to have color and life in the house, so I often took it upon myself to take care of them. It seemed like Thema was often too tired or too sad to bring herself to work on such small things. I turned around, where Leilani was leaning forward, ready for a kiss on the head. I took the duster and bopped her on the head before walking past her and beginning the housework.

“Weenie,” was her retort.

“So what’s your plan for me, huh? Where am I supposed to practice?”

Leilani was easily distracted from the last subject, over the lack of a morning kiss and exclaimed, “I got a dummy for you to fight with! It’s the scarecrow. We have two, so I took the one in the shed and gave it a face.”

“A scarecrow won’t last long against a sword like mine,” I told her as I wiped dust from the counters with a determined focus. If I was going to do such a job, I would do it right, after all. Every job was valuable, or so Thema and Leilani believed.

“Just be delicate.”

“I’m not delicate!”

“Yes you are. Just think of the scarecrow as yourself,” Leilani hopped up onto the table as I finished dusting it, “Would you hurt yourself?”

_ Maybe _ , I thought bitterly as I moved down the hallway, Leilani’s little steps following, “I don’t know. I just don’t know if I can hold back. After all, I’d have to give it my all if I fight. Practice should be no different. Why are you so determined to get me to practice, anyways?”

“In case something attacks you!” Leilani insisted, “You have to make sure you and the Princess are ok.”

“Princess can take care of herself,” I muttered bitterly, nearly throwing the duster against the wall at the thought of her.

“I was more worried about you.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

“But I love you,” Leilani’s voice turned serious, and I turned to face her, curious in her emotions yet again. She continued, fiddling with her fingers, “You’re my best friend. I’m supposed to worry about you.”

I sighed, rolling my eyes before crouching and grabbing Leilani gently by her shoulder, “Look, kid. I’m not exactly the best at taking care of myself. I could get into some serious trouble someday, and I don’t want you dragged into that. Don’t worry about me, alright? I’m just trouble.”

“You’re not trouble!” She stomped her foot, shocking me. “You’re my best friend. And I’ll worry about you all I want!”

Despite her huffing and puffing and angry demeanor, before I could speak, she left a little peck on my nose, before stomping off to her room. I blinked, shocked, touching the tip of my nose. A kiss, right? I couldn’t tell if it was out of affection or spite. Kids and their emotions. Humans and their complexity. I rolled my eyes, getting back to the chores. After all, I still needed to make some lunch. I could worry about emotions and gestures of affections and weird human things later.

 

\---

 

“Ta-dah!”

Leilani gestured excitedly to the scarecrow, throwing out her arms and shaking them around. She had recovered from her previous fit, after grabbing her ukulele and angrily singing about how best friends are supposed to care about each other and worry how the others doing. It was actually enjoyable, listening to her sing and strum her ukulele as I cooked, even if her singing sometimes turned into emotional shouting and chords turned to furious irregular strumming. It reminded me she was still her. Little, emotional, Leilani.

I stared at the scarecrow that she had set up near the barn. Thema had passed by once, but without even noticing the two of us behind the barn doors. She was, as always, deeply focused in her work, wiping sweat from her brow and tapping out her boots to shake off some dirt. She never stopped working. I suppose that’s why I did the work around the house. Not because I cared, of course, but because I wouldn’t let the house fall apart while I was around. I was staying there, after all.

“It’s face is… it’s…” I tried to find the right words, “It’s very… happy, isn’t it?”

“Yeah!” Leilani agreed, “It’s happy to help you!”

I felt very weird about this, “Shouldn’t it be… angry looking? Monstrous? Like an enemy.”

“But it’s a friend,” Leilani explained, “Why would it be angry at you?”

“Well, if I’m going to fight it, then it should probably be mad.”

“But you’re just joke fighting.” Leilani stood next to the scarecrow, staring at it and thinking. “So it doesn’t mind.”

I shrugged, “If you say so. No holding back.”

“It’s tough!” Leilani puffed out her cheeks and flexed her chubby arms. “It can handle it.”

“Stay behind me, kid. Sword’s sharp.”

Leilani obeyed, skipping over to sit by the wall of the barn behind me. She was far away enough that my sword shouldn’t even come close to hitting her, and so I readied myself. It felt like it had been a  _ long  _ time since I last wielded a sword. Though time was merely a concept while I was a brainless creature, I found now that the ability would not just come naturally to me. Though it was already  _ there _ , I’d likely need some training and exercise before I was in top condition once more. Luckily, some chores were quite the workout.

I first held out my sword, weighing it in my hand, letting my new self get a feel for it. It felt the same in my hand, yet together, it seemed to make a new whole with the same pieces. I swung it, just slightly. It felt right, but still, different. I thought of what I did. Every swing was my choice. Everything hurt by this blade, now, was by my choice. It felt heavy.

“Are you gonna hit it?” Leilani asked, boredly strumming at her ukulele.

“I’m getting to it,” I grumbled, swinging it in the air a few times more. “Perfection takes time.”

“Papa says there’s no such thing as perfection.”

“Well, he’s right. That’s why we need patience.” I finally assumed an offensive position, and with one fell swoop, the scarecrow’s happy head dropped to the ground, face up. 

Leilani gasped, “Johnny!”

I raised an eyebrow at her, “You named it?”

“Well, yeah, duh,” she didn’t explain why it was obvious, however, and simply picked up the head and brought it back to where she sat. “I’ll just patch him up later.”

“Do you even know how to sew?”

“I’m learning.” Leilani crossed her arms moodily. “It’s just hard when I keep pricking my finger…”

I laughed softly at the thought of little excitable Leilani, sitting on the couch with a needle and thread, trying to sew up a shirt. It was near impossible, without thinking of her bouncing around or belting out a song. Even now, she played around with the bits of yarn on the scarecrow’s head as I slashed at the scarecrow’s body. Hay and thatch piled up around the stick stuck into the ground as I practiced simple moves, stabs, slashes, a jump. My sides and arms were still sore, and would likely be screaming out tomorrow morning, but it was all in a day's work to get back into shape as a swordsman.

“How’s Johnny making out?” I asked, turning around and sheathing my blade. Leilani was still staring at the head, worrying over one of the button eyes that was beginning to come undone.

“I don’t know. He doesn’t talk,” she told me very seriously, looking up at me with the saddest of expressions. “You think he’ll be ok?”

“I’ll sew him back up for you, if it’s such a big thing to you,” I offered, to which Leilani had  _ immediately _ brightened, jumping up and bouncing on her feet once more.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou Lint! You’re the  _ bestest  _ best friend ever!”

A voice rose from near the edge of the fence, “I find that hard to believe.”

I sneered, “Princess Zelda. Nice to see you.”

“Shriek!” Leilani called out happily, and I covered my mouth and held back a snort at Zelda’s face.

She smiled gently, “It’s… Sheik, honey.”

“That’s what I said,” she giggled, “Shriek.”

“Lint and Shriek.” I stood up and walked over to the fence where Leilani was beaming up at a tired Zelda. “We make a good team.”

“Don’t push it.” Zelda patted the fence, “Get over here. Since you’re already ready, let’s get to investigating.”

“Wait a minute, I have to leave Leilani with Thema first.” I sighed and rolled my eyes, shaking my head as I lead Leilani to the barn. As if I could just leave Leilani out here alone!

“When will you get back, Lint?” She asked as we turned and entered the barn. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Zelda, still at the fence. What scared her so much about coming in, anyways? The animals here were kind. I was sure they’d get along.

I shrugged in response to Leilani’s question, “Well, I’m not sure. I’ll try to be back for supper, but no promises, kid. Be a good sport while I’m gone.”

She nodded excitedly, sticking out her tongue when I ruffled up her hair. Thema waved to me and I waved back before jogging over to Zelda and hopping over the fence. I looked at her, taking in her stance. She had her arms crossed and her shoulders high, mouth covered by her mask. She was obviously uncomfortable, but by what, I couldn’t imagine.

“Let’s go,” she said before I could even open my mouth and ask what was wrong. She pushed past me, and I rolled my eyes, following her. Why did I even care, anyways? She was annoying, and she was out to get me, anyways. We were enemies, even if we were after the same thing.

The path between Hyrule Field and Sunpost Village was not a long one. To most people it would be very easy to find something out of the ordinary within a minute. Zelda stood about where she had remembered the wolf being, and looked around with sharp eyes. I couldn’t even remember when I was attacked, or where. I’d been so focused on the farm.

“Nothing seems out of the ordinary,” she muttered to herself, “Or, well, the opposite. It seems very odd that there’s not even a single trace of these creatures. They couldn’t have just up and disappeared…”

“Maybe the villagers got rid of it,” I suggested, much to Zelda’s displeasure. “I’m just saying, a stinking wolf carcass doesn’t exactly scream tourism.”

Zelda glared, before returning to her search, pushing aside bushes and even checking the trees. At times, I noticed, she used a bit of magic; light shone on her hand to the little corners of bushes and the roots of trees. What she was looking for, I couldn’t quite understand, considering the wolves were fairly big, but then again, she was the leader. She probably had a better idea of what we were looking for.

I decided to glance around too. After all, she wouldn’t get off my back until I helped her, right? Maybe I could just bluff my way out and say that a mark on the dirt looked like part of their tracks. Just as I began to think up all different lies to get myself out of here, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. And it wasn’t Zelda, I noticed immediately. She was still searching around in the branches and bushes, not minding the scratches on her fingers and arms. Well, she could probably wrestle a bear. Those were probably nothing.

I turned back to where I saw the movement, and that’s when I noticed it; a shadow, in the shape of a wolf. It was well hidden, with the shadow of the leaves above us, but once it twitched, I could see the whole outline. I looked up quickly, reaching for my sword, but it wasn’t up in the trees. It wasn’t… anywhere. What was making that shadow?

“Something wrong, Dark?” Zelda questioned, noticing my tense stance.

“There’s a shadow,” I pointed to the ground where I saw it, and before I could continue, Zelda interrupted with a sigh.

“I can see that, Dark.”

I glared, “I meant, there’s a wolf shadow, and  _ no  _ wolf. Tell me what you think of that.”

She looked at the ground, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I looked again, about to blow my top if it had already left, but it still stood there, as if watching us from the ground. I looked between the shadow and Zelda, speechless.  _ It was right there. What’s she talking about? _

Then, it began to run.

Instinct in me kicked in before thinking did. I ran after the shadow, determined not to lose it. After all, if Zelda couldn’t see it, I’d have to be the one in charge of not losing it. She was only a second late, fast enough to keep up but already a step behind. I ran through the trees, that became surprisingly dense as I moved deeper into the woods. In fact, I didn’t think the woods around Sunpost went out this far. As I followed the shadow, which shifted from ground to trunks to branches, distorting as a shadow would, I found that Zelda’s footsteps began to disappear, and things began to grow darker and darker, until something hit me.

Light.

The wolf stopped for a moment, just to watch me. I could only freeze as the trees gave way to a small clearing, but still grew tall enough that only the slightest bit of light shone down at the middle. I was stuck there like stone, in the light, feeling my entire body warm up, feeling the light crawl in through my eyes and mouth and ears and through my skin. My muscle, my bones, everything was suddenly changed by the light of the sun. I watched my hands as they turned from brown to a sickly greyish yet again, and I held my face as my eyes pulsed, pulsed, and  _ glowed _ , and my nails were pointed and my teeth grew and every part of me turned into something different, familiar, all at once, and I  _ screamed. _

Then, I was gone.

Well. I was gone from one world, anyways.

When I looked up, I wasn’t in Sunpost anymore.

 

\---

  
  


Zelda panted and skidded to a stop as she arrived at a clearing. Something about the place threw her off. Overall, it was a spot in a forest. It wasn’t very pretty, with more dirt than grass, and the trees seemed old and wrinkly rather than strong and rough. However, she noticed the small things. Such a perfect circle of trees, and the light from the opening in the leaves. It felt like it meant something, but she didn’t know what, and more importantly, Dark was gone.

She tried to piece together what had happened. He claimed there was a shadow of a wolf, then ran off, assumably after this invisible shadow, but she hadn’t seen it at all. Not once, from when he pointed it out, to the chase, to now. So that lead to another train of thought; he had lied, then ran as fast and far as he could. To escape this specific job, or Sunpost? Perhaps to lead Zelda herself into a trap. Realizing that might’ve been why she was so suspicious of the clearing, she began to hop around trees the way she had came, refusing to be caught by Dark and whatever minions he might’ve come up with. She knew he couldn’t be trusted. Some dark version of the hero. What a sham. What did she see in him that was even  _ close  _ to trustable?

_ Well, it doesn’t take the smartest person in the world to figure that one out. He looks exactly like the hero of time. You literally saw the hero in him.  _ But that wasn’t the hero, nor did he want to be the hero. He didn’t even want to be  _ a  _ hero. But still, she had been caught off guard, and had lost him, and it was all because of a soft spot for someone long gone. She made it back to the main path, kicking up dirt in a small burst of anger before returning to her previous, much calmer composure. She would peek around more, to make sure she hadn’t missed anything, then return. She could likely ask Avi and Nosipho about the wolves, if the town had done anything about it. As much as she hated to admit it, it was a fair conclusion from Dark; who would want to leave dead wolves lying around?

But wouldn’t dead wolves cause more of an uproar? The town sure didn’t seem prepared for wolf attacks, but they seemed as cheery as ever. How could wolves walk around  _ unnoticed _ ? Dark hadn’t mentioned fighting off anymore than three the first time he came here, unless he was hiding more. Zelda groaned. Dark was going to become a real problem if she couldn’t get a hold on this shadow’s whereabouts at all times. She stomped her feet as she made her way up towards the farm. There were only two people who knew where Dark was in the past few weeks.

She knocked on the wooden door huffily, crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently. This man was trying her patience. Living on a farm with innocent people, conning them for goddesses-knows-what. She knocked again after a minute, wondering if anyone was home. When she was about to try again, a little head popped around the corner of the house.

“Shriek! You’re back so soon!” Leilani giggled and ran over to Zelda, jumping and giggling, looking wildly around for anything around Zelda. “Where’s Lint? We’re gonna make his favorite supper!”

Zelda sighed, then forced a polite, Queen-like smile. “Honey, I’m gonna have to ask a few questions about Dark.”

Leilani raised an eyebrow. “You mean Lint?”

Zelda coughed. “Right. Lint.”

“You have to tell me where he is, first.”

Zelda couldn’t believe it. She was going to be tricked by this seven year old. It wasn’t that she  _ couldn’t  _ tell Leilani what had happened so much as she didn’t  _ want  _ to; after all, she didn’t know what happened, and didn’t want this upset kid on her hands. She wouldn’t know what to do. She didn’t even know what to do when  _ she  _ got upset, and she was an adult.

Finally, she decided on saying, “He’s… gone. I mean, ran off. I don’t know where he went.”

Leilani blanched for a moment, possibly the only time Zelda had ever seen the small girl waver since they met. Finally, she said, “No.”

Zelda raised an eyebrow. “No?”

“He wouldn’t leave without telling.” She shook her head while crossing her chubby arms. “No, no, no, Lint would not. He said he might not be back for supper, so he’s still doing something important.”

Zelda stared down at the child. Nothing was out of the ordinary when you saw her, up close or not. She didn’t look to be the victim of magic or spells. She had lively curly hair up in two big puffs, and big dark curious eyes that held only pure determination as she stood her ground. She didn’t have a problem meeting eyes with Zelda and pouting, trying to force her own beliefs into Zelda’s closed off heart.

Zelda simply replied, “Will you answer my questions, now?”

Leilani shrugged. “I guess so. But you better not let Lint get hurt just ‘cause you don’t like him, ok?”

Zelda sighed, “Fine. Now answer my questions.”

“Okey dokey.”

Zelda crouched down, ready to finally break down this bad egg of a shadow. “So, tell me about Lint.”

“He’s my best friend.” Leilani grinned widely.

Zelda laughed awkwardly, still unable to believe it. “Anything else?”

“He likes cuccos.”

“Ok, next question. Has Lint been sneaking off at weird times without saying what he’s doing?”

“Nope,” Leilani shook her head, curls flying. “He’s always at home doin’ chores for mama, ‘cause he’s good at it.

Zelda nodded, internally doubting the information but not knowing how to tell a child she had to be wrong. “Ok. Does he ever say weird things?”

“All the time!” Leilani thought to herself for a moment. “Usually just about how he doesn’t get why people can be so nice to him. He’s soooo delicate.”

Zelda chuckled to herself at the thought of that. Dark? Delicate? That wasn’t the word she’d use. “Ok, does he ask you personal things?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Lint doesn’t care about the past. Just the now!”

“Has he ever told you about a family or past?”

She shook her head, which shocked Zelda, though not as much as the answer, “He told me he doesn’t have any parents. It’s so sad. So I’m gonna be his papa and be really sweet and treat him real nice. Don’t tell him though. It’s a surprise.”

Zelda stared at this child, trying to find some hint of mind control, of poison, of spells, just  _ something  _ wrong. How could someone so young and kind genuinely  _ love  _ a literal  _ shadow  _ of a person? Zelda tried to find lies in each word, a false, a contradiction, some sort of tell. But Leilani was Leilani. She told Zelda the truth. And Dark had told only truth to these people. Surely, he kept the shadow part from them, but he hadn’t told them he was someone else. He hadn’t lied and said he was Link, or the hero of time. Was he really just… living here?

“Thank you, Leilani.” Zelda stood up, ruffling the kid’s hair. “Where’s your mother?”

“She’s in the barn.” Leilani tugged on Zelda’s pants before letting her walk over, her features turning sad. “You didn’t hurt Lint, did you?”

Zelda shook her head. “No. I did not. I can promise you that.”

“Good.” Leilani let go of Zelda’s pants and crossed her arms. “Because then I’d have to be really angry, because a papa gotta protect their kid.”

Zelda giggled. Even if Leilani was an odd child with the oddest best friend, she was precious. “Goodbye, Leilani.”

“Bye, Shriek!”

_ Maybe someday I’ll get used to that name. Probably not. _ Zelda thought as she made her way to the barn.  _ Then again, who could? _

Thema was what you’d expect as a farmer. Zelda noticed easily the muscles working in her arms as she carried crates and sacks of seed, muck, or fertilizer. She moved around in a way that you believed she could do it with her eyes closed; she had done this all her life and would continue to for the rest of her life. Her hair poofed around all about like Leilani’s, and she held it back with a red bandana, wiping sweat from her uncovered brow. Thema turned and blinked at Zelda. “Who’re you?”

Zelda took out her medallion. “I’m Sheik. I work for the Princess. I’m here to investigate suspicious activity happening around Sunpost. I want to ask a few questions about Lint--I mean, Lin.”

Thema laughed, grabbing a rag from an animal’s pen and wiping her face with it. “Ah, I’m assuming you’ve talked to Leilani about him already?”

Zelda nodded with a gentle smile. “You have a beautiful daughter, ma’am.”

“I try my best with her,” Thema laughed, then shook her head. “Sometimes, I wonder if Lin’s doing better than I am. I thought he was trouble at first, but he’s been a goddess sent miracle. I just would never tell him that. Wouldn’t want to pressure him like that.”

Zelda raised an eyebrow. “Can you explain his relationship to your family a little more?”

Thema nodded, cleaning her hands with the rag as she spoke, “Well, I found him ripped up like grated cheese at the entrance of Sunpost, and brought him in to heal him. Leilani started going off about how he’s her ‘best friend’, goddesses knows why. I don’t know what a seven year old just sees in a man like him, but she just latched onto him. Probably because her father’s been missing from her life for a while now.”

“Missing?” Zelda watched Thema’s mood drop. “What do you mean, missing?”

“He’s… he’s not…” Thema shook her head and rubbed her forehead. “He’s dead. He died when Leilani was young. Which is why I just tell her that he’s left. Missing. Just. Not here. And please, it’s something I have to tell her myself. So…”

“I understand,” Zelda nodded.

Thema let out a breath of relief. “Thank you. Anyways, Lin… he sat around healing for a while, but once he was up, he was just always with Leilani and taking care of the house. Cleaning, shopping, all this stuff. Stuff I can’t do out on the farm working all day. It’s like having your own personal maid. I think we really just made an impression on him. He was so… empty, when he first came here. I know he seems like trouble, but trust me, he isn’t.”

Zelda leaned in close, whispering as to not alarm Thema, or perhaps Leilani, who was playing outside the barn doors with what seemed to be the head of a scarecrow. “Have you or your daughter ever been under the influence of magic from him? You can trust me.”

Thema moved away from Zelda, raising an eyebrow. “We’re fine, Sheik, thank you. Lin doesn’t even know magic.”

Zelda sighed, nodding her head solemnly. “My… my apologies. I’m just making sure your household is safe.”

She nodded hurriedly, “So where is he, anyways? He’s always around with Leilani.”

Zelda blanched. “He’s, um, helping me investigate, since he was, uh, suspected.”

“Suspected of what?” Thema gasped, looking genuinely worried. “Is he ok? Did he do something? I swear, he’s not evil or anything. I think he’s just troubled sometimes. But it ain’t anything wrong. He just needs some care. If he stole anything, I’ll pay for it.”

Zelda tried not to snort. Instead she kept her face straight and replied, “I’m afraid it’s possible he could be part of the conspiracy of followers of Ganon that have been appearing all throughout Hyrule. I’m sorry, but it may be so.”

Thema now leaned against the fencing of the pens, rubbing her face and groaning as she wilted like a flower. “No… no, not Lin… that boy couldn’t do anything like that… he’s been with us… he’s been cleaning and--and he’s always with Leilani… no… there’s no evidence… right?”

“No,” Zelda admitted. “But we have reason to suspect. I would consider keeping a closer eye on him.”

Thema rubbed her face again, her eyes beginning to turn red as she kept back tears. “Goddesses… not Lin… you don’t think he’s dangerous, do you? Goddesses… that boy couldn’t hurt a fly…”

Zelda decided that was enough. She stepped back and told the woman, “I apologize, but I did not want to leave you without a warning. I’ll leave, now.”

Thema didn’t reply. She crossed her arms and stared at the floor, shaking her head. Leilani waved at Zelda as she left. The princess had a lot of thinking to do.

 

\---

 

The adjustment wasn’t easy. I flexed my fingers as I studied my demonesque skin, tapping at the teeth that seemed to have grown more pointed once more. My eyes burned as the last of the light dripped off me, and finally, my body was plunged again into darkness. I couldn’t look around for a moment, so shocked, so… scared, for that moment. I was a monster again. No more thoughts. No more days on the farm. Bloodshed and water and darkness and eternity.

But that was not the case. The moment I blinked, everything came into view at once, nearly sending my head into a spiral. I looked around, finding that I was not stuck in my own animalistic mind but some sort of new world. I turned around fully to study my surrounding, shuffling my feet as I tried to regain my composure.

This was nothing like how I’d imagined my mind anyways. Still, it felt natural, familiar, in a way Link’s memories never did. The light didn’t feel like sunlight, but it lit the land anyways, orange-red skies surrounding a dying world. The trees here were thin and grey, like crying little wisps of smoke. Some leaves still stuck to their branches, but they were all sickly greens and yellows. As I began to walk, the leaves that had fallen crunch eerily under my boots, making an echo through the barren land. There was no one to see. No animals to hear. No bird tweets or tiny scurrying footsteps. Not even the rustle of bushes. I could see well ahead of me the amount of dead trees, going on for a long, long while. I hadn’t even known which way I had came from, but I suppose it didn’t matter. I wasn’t in Sunpost anymore.

Not knowing what else to do, I continued to walk. It felt like I was following a path as I curved around trees and kept in a straight line ahead, and it felt like eternity, navigating my way through those woods. With an ache in my chest, I wondered if I was dead, struck down by the goddesses and condemned to a hell of endless dead trees and a dead sky and dead ground. I thought of the green grass at the farm.

Like I had fallen down a hole and entered a topsy turvy world, I emerged into a clearing large enough to be a road, and entrance for a small town. One I had been attacked by wolves in. One I had been in moments ago with Zelda. But it wasn’t the same one. I walked down the road, curious of what I’d find. Was this some sort of opposite to the world I had been in? Was this… where I was from, perhaps? A shadow world?

I stopped dead and stepped back best I could behind the trunk of a tree. I watched as something large, perhaps the size of a bear, began to roar into the face of a woman, likely about Thema’s age. She wore black hair up in a high ponytail, straight and sleek. Sharp dark eyes did not waver as she jumped back from the slash of the creature’s claws. So similar to a bear, but it’s hunched over, the spine nearly poking through it’s skin along with bat-like ears--this wasn’t a creature I had ever seen before.

I stared, blank, as the blade from the woman’s hand was hit out of her hand. She cried out, reaching out with a gloved hand, but the creature had pinned her. I watched the blade slide, throwing up dust until it stopped a mere foot away. I could grab that. I could get it back. I didn’t know what to do. I’d have to associate with the people here, whoever they were. Fight the monsters here, whatever they may be. But… goddesses damn me, I couldn’t let this random woman die.

I ran to the sword and, not wanting to hurt the woman I was helping, kicked it back to where she was, between the monster’s feet. Without hesitation, she lifted the blade and jumped, letting the blade connect with the monster’s head and not hesitating to rip it apart. I watched, intrigued, as she screamed and hacked at it, letting out her anger and frustration, She obviously didn’t enjoy this, but damn, she had a grudge.

She sheathed her sword as she finished, wiping blood from her face with the back of her hand. She finally looked up at me, eyes meeting mine for the first time. She nodded solemnly.

“As much as I regret to admit it, I was in trouble,” she began in a deep voice, extremely memorable but rough from years of use. Perhaps this lady was a leader of some sort. “So thank you, stranger. I regret to say I do not recognize you, though people in these lands are far and few between.”

“I’m…” I hesitated. “I’m Dark.”

The lady was unfazed, and held out her brown hand. A gesture taught to me by Leilani. I could finally return it as she replied, “I am Shikoba. Are you perhaps named after the world itself? A dark humor your parents must’ve had.”

_ Yeah, they would have a dark humor, if I had any parents.  _ Instead I answered, “This world’s named Dark?”

“It is the Dark World.” Shikoba tilted her head. “You’re not from here, are you?”

I shrugged. She already figured it out. Anything but the truth and it’d just be suspicious. “I mean, I don’t know what you’d call what I’m from. But yeah. Kinda just landed here.”

“I can’t believe you got through the Light World with an appearance like that,” she remarked, and only then did I realize that not once had she seemed alarmed by my monstrous appearance. I mean, I had glowing red eyes. That had to tip someone off.

“You don’t think I’m a monster?” I asked.

Shikoba threw her head back and laughed. “Why would I? You saved my life. You are honorable, Dark. Besides, even creatures of the dark can be turned toward the light. Perhaps you’d be interested in the resistance, sometime.”

“Resistance?” I raised my eyebrows.

She chuckled. “You really aren’t from around here. Perhaps when we meet again, I shall tell you more, but for now I must go. Up ahead is a town you mustn't bother yourself with. Evil forces gather there, trying to find ways into the Light World. I suggest you stay clear until you’ve equipped yourself and some forces.”

“But I need to go back to the Light World.” I ran after her as she began to walk away, long legs carrying her farther than I could run. She was giant. “ _ Wait  _ a  _ second,  _ goddesses damn your speed! Do you know how to get back?”

“I never went there in the first place, boy.” She replied, turning to face me so she could talk one last time, her face wise, narrow, suggesting I better not try her patience. “I would advise you to look in places that aren’t so silly as a dead forest, where light is forbidden.”

She didn’t have to run. It seemed as if she disappeared in seconds into the dust of the dry land being blown away, ponytail swaying like wind chimes. Like dust, she was gone into the wind, and I was left to stand there, lost. Stuck in this rotten world, stuck with this dead grass and these dead trees and… and…

I stared at my hands again. Still shadow. Still monstrous. Still me. Stuck with myself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly, it all leaves off there... Bummer. But who knows, maybe I'll pick it up again sometime.


End file.
